Kai and the Chaos Emeralds
by Phoenix Neo
Summary: Here is the sequel of Kai's RPG Adventure. It's been two years, and now Kai must travel back into the Magical World to seek out the seven Chaos Emeralds and save both worlds from destruction. What will happen to him? Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1: The Mysterious Voice

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 1: The Mysterious Voice**

_**Many years ago, an ancient race created seven magical gems containing ultimate power. These gems were known as the Chaos Emeralds. Eventually, they came to realize that they couldn't control the power. So they spread the emeralds all over the globe, in hopes that nobody would ever discover their unmatched power…**_

It's been two years since Kai first entered the magical world. He has a normal life now that everyone has stopped asking questions about his disappearance. Nothing magical ever happens in his world.

Every once in a while, Kai would walk by the arcade where he disappeared, which was now famous for his disappearance. He would also take out the things that were given to him in the magical world: his bandana, which magically appeared when he first entered the magical world; the ring with the star-shaped gem that Hazel gave to him; and the silver Warpstar, which shrank to the size of a keychain when he reappeared in his world. These objects helped him remember the many adventures that he had with Toad, Zero, and Hazel.

But now was not the time to dwell on the past. It was the first day of summer! His friends were waiting for him outside. They were going to have the best day ever. Kai put on blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and the bandana. He then put the Warpstar in his pocket and ran downstairs.

Kai ate his breakfast and ran outside. Five teens were standing outside of his house, waiting for him. Naomi, Randall, and Matthew were there, as well as two new friends. One was an average-sized girl with dark-blue hair, blue eyes, a white shirt, and a navy skirt. Her name was Luna. The other was a tall, skinny guy with blonde hair, blue eyes, a green shirt, and blue jeans. His name was Jacob.

"What took you so long, Kai?" Naomi asked. "You were supposed to be out here a half an hour ago."

"Sorry, my alarm clock broke," Kai said. "I had to rush just to get ready."

"Alright," Luna said. "What are we going to do today?"

"First we'll spend a couple of hours at the mall, next we'll go to a fast food restaurant for lunch, then we'll hit the carnival," Naomi said. "At the end of the day, we'll go to the arcade and play all of the games there."

"Why are we going to the arcade at the end of the day?" Kai asked.

"That's a secret," Naomi said.

Matthew walked up to her.

"Why are we going there?" Matthew whispered in her ear.

"I'm going to convince Kai to tell us what happened when he disappeared," Naomi whispered back. "Don't tell anyone. If Kai hears this, he'll find us something else to do just to avoid the question."

"Alright," Matthew replied.

They all then left the house and headed toward the mall. At the end of their day, they went to the arcade. They played several games, including DDR, Air Hockey, Skee-Ball, etc.

After an hour, Naomi dragged Kai to the Air Hockey table.

"Hey Kai, how about a game," she asked.

"Sure," Kai said.

They both put in some quarters, and the Air Hockey table turned on. The puck appeared on Naomi's side.

"How about we make this game interesting," Naomi said.

"Do you mean a bet?" Kai asked.

"Exactly," Naomi said. "If you win, I'll give you $10."

"What if you win?" Kai asked.

"If I win, you have to tell me about what happened 2 years ago," Naomi said.

Kai was surprised by what she just said.

"I thought that we were done with that," Kai said. "I disappeared one day. Then I reappeared a few months later."

"You'll have to tell me what happened within those few months," Naomi said.

The rest of the group surrounded them. Kai looked around at them.

"You're not going to let me say no, are you?" Kai asked.

"Of course not," Naomi said. "First to seven points wins. Let's do this!"

The game began. Naomi shot the puck toward Kai, who blasted it right back toward her. It went right into her goal.

"I've beaten you at this game ever since we were kids," Kai said boastfully. "You haven't beat me yet, and you won't beat me today."

"I have a reason to win this time," Naomi said.

Naomi scored the next point. They both continued to score points until the score was 6 to 6. They were both sweating from exhaustion.

"This is it," Kai said.

"That's right," Naomi said.

Kai began this game. The puck shot straight toward Naomi. The puck bounced back and forth between these two opponents. Everyone else's eyes were staring straight at the puck. Naomi then made one final hit toward Kai's goal, but it bounced on the corner of the table and shot straight into her goal. Kai won.

"Aw man," Naomi said.

"I told you," Kai said. "This is my game. So pay up."

Naomi began to dig into her purse for a ten-dollar bill. While she was doing this, however, the screen of the Donkey Kong game, which was behind them, was glowing with many different colors. Everyone stopped what they were doing and walked over to the game.

Kai was the closest one to the game.

"Kai…" a mysterious voice said.

Kai looked around.

"Did you hear that?!" Kai exclaimed.

"Hear what?" Jacob asked.

"The voice!" Kai exclaimed.

"What voice?" Randall asked. "We've been paying attention to the game, because it's acting weird. Maybe it's defective."

"I don't think so," Kai said.

"Kai…" the mysterious voice said again.

Once again, Kai was the only one to notice the voice.

"Both worlds are in danger," the voice said. "You must go to the magical world. Use the Warpstar."

After hearing this, Kai pulled out his Warpstar. He then walked up to the arcade and placed the Warpstar right next to the joystick. His friends were staring strangely at what was going on.

"I guess that it's time that you know what happened," Kai said. "You're about to see for yourself."

The Warpstar began to glow. It then grew to its normal size. Everyone but Kai jumped back when this happened.

"W…w…what's going on?!" Naomi shouted.

"Naomi, I need you to tell my family that I'll be gone for a while," Kai replied.

"Kai, what the hell are you talking about?!" Naomi exclaimed.

But it was too late. Kai hopped onto the silver Warpstar. The vortex that first sent Kai to the magical world appeared again.

"Bye, guys," Kai said.

Kai and the Warpstar disappeared into the portal. When he was gone, the vortex dissolved. Kai's friends were just staring there.

"HOLY CRAP!" Jacob eventually shouted. "What just happened?!"

"I don't know, but I have the strange feeling that we'll never see him again," Luna said.

Meanwhile, Kai was moving further and further into the vortex. After a few minutes, a bright light appeared at the end of the vortex. Kai burst straight through the light and appeared several miles above the ground. The Warpstar then shrank.

"This can't be good," Kai said.

He then began to plummet straight toward the ground, screaming bloody-murder all of the way down. When Kai crashed into the earth, a small crater was formed at the point of impact. He slowly and painfully crawled out of the crater.

"This was a lot easier when I passed out before hitting the ground," Kai said.

He looked around. His surroundings were just as he remembered them. The sun was shining bright above him, which was strange because he left at night. The mountains in the distance were dark-green with the many trees on them. The white, fluffy clouds floated above him.

Kai then pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. It hurt. A huge smile appeared on his face as he ran toward the place that he knew very well. He stopped when he got there. He saw a huge castle with a glass picture of the Princess at the highest tower. A huge town surrounded the castle. He was finally at Mushroom Castle!

"Yay!" Kai exclaimed. "I'm finally here!"

Kai started to run toward the castle, but, after a few steps, he was surrounded by several Koopa-Troopas. Bowser was leading this army.

"I can't believe it," Bowser said. "If it isn't the little snot who defeated me those few years ago. I've been waiting for this chance. Prepare to taste defeat."

"No sweat," Kai said.

In reflex, he reached for his back. But his sword wasn't there.

"I forgot!" Kai thought. "I gave my sword and bomb-rocks to Toad before I left!"

The army drew closer and closer.

"Ha ha," Kai laughed weakly. "You wouldn't hurt an unarmed guy, would you?"

The Koopas got close enough to attack. Then, a bolt of lightning shot from the sky and zapped the whole army. Bowser turned around and saw Toad. He was wearing white pants, brown shoes, and a blue vest.

"Toad!" Kai exclaimed.

"Kai, I think that you need something," Toad said.

Toad threw two things: a large, light-blue sword that belonged to Kai and a bag of bomb rocks. Kai caught both of these items. He tied the bag to a belt on his waist and kept the sword drawn. Kai then turned his attention back to the Koopas, who slowly began to back off. Kai and Toad then defeated the army one-by-one.

Eventually, only Bowser was left. Kai and Toad slowly crept toward him.

"Do we have to kick your butt again, or will you save us the trouble and run away?" Kai asked.

"Damn it!" Bowser shouted.

A small helicopter-like machine appeared. Bowser jumped into it and flew away. When he was gone, Kai and Toad looked at each other. Toad then hugged Kai.

"It's been too long, Kai!" Toad exclaimed. "But you're back!"

"I know!" Kai replied. "I'm happy too!"

Kai and Toad then walked toward Toad Town. As they walked through town, the Mushroom people waved happily at Kai and welcomed him back. Kai felt happy from this warm welcome.

Kai and Toad eventually entered the castle itself. They met up with Princess Peach and Toadsworth.

"Hi, Princess!" Kai exclaimed.

"Oh, Kai!" Peach replied. "Hello!"

"Welcome, Kai," Toadsworth said. "It's good to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, it goes like this…" Kai began.

Kai then told Toad, Toadsworth, and Peach about what happened in the arcade.

"That's weird," Toad said. "But it's not as strange since you are the Chosen Warrior of Light."

"But this voice said that both worlds were in danger," Toadsworth said. "This isn't something to ignore. You and Toad should look into this further."

"Alright," Kai said. "At the first sign of danger, I'll leap into action."

That night, Toad set up an extra bed for Kai in his room. Toad's room was colored navy and black. The ceiling was covered in stars.

"Your room is cool," Kai said.

"Thanks," Toad replied. "Alright. Let's hit the sack."

That night, Kai was sleeping soundly.

"Kai…" the mysterious voice said again.

The voice was within Kai's dream. Kai was in front of a strange altar that he had never seen before. At the top of the altar was a huge, green gem surrounded by seven, smaller crystals that were different colors. He walked up to the 8 gems. He looked around.

"Where am I?" Kai thought.

"The seven emeralds will reunite," the mysterious voice said.

Kai then saw the 7 smaller gems rise in the air and come together. When they were together, a huge flash of light appeared from the gems. When the light faded, Kai was surrounded by complete darkness.

"If they are to be corrupted by darkness, both worlds will fall," the mysterious voice continued.

Kai then turned around and saw two Earths. The Earths then began to fade into the darkness. Kai screamed and woke up.

He was sweating bullets in his bed. Toad woke up and rubbed his eyes.

"Kai, it's five in the morning," Toad said sleepily. "What's with the screaming?"

"It's nothing," Kai said. "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Fine," Toad said. "Nighty-night."

Toad fell back to sleep. Kai then laid down again. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2: The Chaos Emeralds

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 2: The Chaos Emeralds**

The following morning, Kai and Toad were eating breakfast at the royal table, as well as Toadsworth, Toadette, and Princess Peach. Kai had just finished telling Toad about his dream.

"So there were seven emeralds and one big emerald," Toad said.

"Right," Kai said.

"And if the seven smaller emeralds are gathered together by someone who is evil, both worlds will end," Toad said.

"Correct," Kai said.

"Then let's just go to this altar and grab the emeralds before someone else does," Toad said.

"There's only one problem: I have no idea where that altar was," Kai said. "Plus, the emeralds might not be there anymore. They could be anywhere in the world right now."

"What can we do?" Toad asked.

"You two should wait for Professor E. Gadd," Toadette said. "He'll probably make some sort of invention that can track them down."

"I really doubt that, but we'll have to try something," Toad said. "Where is he?"

"He's doing research on Yoshi's Island," Toadsworth said. "He won't be back for a few days."

"I guess that we could…" Kai began.

Then, the door to the dining room opened. Mario walked into the room.

"Hello, Mario!" Peach said.

"Hello, Princess," Mario said.

"What are you doing here?" Peach asked.

"Toadsworth called and told me that Kai was here," Mario said.

He then looked toward Kai.

"I'm guessing that something is wrong if you're here, Kai," Mario said. "Tell me everything that's happened."

Kai explained both the incident at the arcade and the dream to Mario. Mario thought about this for a minute.

"You said something about seven emeralds," Mario said. "They must be the legendary Chaos Emeralds."

"Chaos Emeralds?" Toad asked. "What are they?"

"The Chaos Emeralds are ancient relics that contain ultimate power," Mario said. "If they are gathered, they'll give unlimited energy to the holder. An old friend of mine knows a lot about them."

"Perfect!" Kai exclaimed. "Where is this friend?"

"I don't know," Mario said. "He's always traveling. I doubt that you'll find him in the Gameon Islands."

"We're back to square one," Toad said. "We'll just have to wait for the professor to get back."

Unknown to the group, someone was listening from a nearby window. It was Bowser's magical henchman, Kamek.

"What a discovery!" Kamek exclaimed. "Lord Bowser will be pleased."

Kamek flew toward Bowser's Castle.

That evening, Toad and Kai were in their room. They were thinking about the Chaos Emeralds.

"How can we find seven emeralds without any way to track them?" Toad asked.

"How about the Seeking Feather?" Kai replied.

"That won't work," Toad said. "I tried it earlier. The Seeking Feather doesn't do anything. Maybe its because there are seven emeralds. If there was only one, the Seeking Feather would work."

"Then I'm out of ideas," Kai said.

A knock was heard from the door.

"Who is it?" Toad asked.

"Toadette," Toadette said from the other side of the door.

"Come in," Toad said.

The door opened. Toadette was standing there. She had her hands behind her back.

"I've got something for you," Toadette said.

"What is it?" Toad asked.

Toadette brought out what she was hiding. In her hands was a small, red emerald. Kai and Toad ran up to her.

"You found one!" Toad exclaimed.

"Where did you find this?!" Kai asked.

"I was walking along the beach, and it had washed up onto the shore," Toadette answered.

"Thanks, Toadette!" Toad exclaimed as he was given the emerald. "With this emerald, we might be able to discover a way to find the others!"

A few hours later, they were asleep. While they slept, something crept in the shadows outside of the castle. The four night guards heard this and turned toward it. But they didn't see anything.

"What was that?" one of them said.

"It's probably just the wind," another said.

The unknown thing flew to the top of the castle. Kai heard this and woke up. He walked over to Toad and woke him up.

"What's going on?" Toad asked sleepily.

"Something's on the roof," Kai answered. "Let's check it out."

"Alright," Toad replied. "Let's go."

Kai and Toad ran up toward the roof. Kai drew his sword and Toad got into a battle stance. They take a look at the intruder and saw a strange robot. It was a red robot with a yellow head, green eyes, a strange device floating behind it, and a large gun on its right arm. The word "E-102" was written on it.

"Ok, what is that?!" Kai exclaimed.

The robot scanned Kai. Nothing happened. It then scanned Toad. It found the Chaos Emerald in Toad's pocket.

"_Target confirmed_," the robot said. "_Chaos Emerald detected_."

"He's after the Chaos Emerald!" Toad exclaimed.

"_Must acquire Emerald by any means necessary_," the robot said as it drew up its gun and pointed it toward Kai and Toad.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you're going to get!" Kai shouted.

Kai and Toad charged forward. Toad charged a magical energy into his hands and threw a **Fira** spell toward the robot. The robot blasted this spell with a few missiles. A cloud of smoke was formed from the explosion. Kai jumped through the explosion and slashed down toward the robot. Kai's blade didn't even make a scratch on the robot.

"What the?!" Kai exclaimed. "It must be invincible!"

The robot then began to blast Kai with a machine gun. Kai barely dodged each of the bullets. After the robot stopped firing, Kai took a break to catch his breath.

"This…thing…is…tough," Kai said.

The robot then charged toward Toad. Toad jumped out of the way. The robot stopped right before it hit the edge of the roof.

"Now's my chance!" Kai shouted.

Kai threw a bomb-rock toward the ground just below the robot's feet. The robot was launched over the edge of the roof.

"Yes!" Kai exclaimed.

The robot then floated back up to the top. The strange device on its back was emitting an energy that allowed the robot to float.

"Crap," Kai said.

The robot then launched two missiles: one toward Kai and another toward Toad. The missiles hit the ground just below Kai and Toad and knocked them back. The Chaos Emerald fell out of Toad's pocket. Kai and Toad were knocked out. The robot walked toward the Chaos Emerald.

"_Chaos Emerald acquired_," the robot said. "_Returning to Dr. Robotnik_."

The robot began to walk away. Then, Kai got up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kai asked.

The robot turned around.

"_ERROR_! _ERROR_!" the robot shouted. "_Enemy's energy replenished_._ Impossible_._ Calculating energy replenishing rate_!"

Kai ran toward the robot.

"You're giving back that Chaos Emerald!" Kai shouted as he rushed toward the robot.

Kai's blade began to glow with a light-blue and green light.

"_ERROR_!" the robot shouted. "_Enemy's energy level is off the charts_!"

Kai jumped up and slashed the robot. A large green and light-blue explosion rose from the point of impact. The robot was torn apart. Its eyes continued to flash. Kai picked up the Chaos Emerald from the remains.

"That worked," Kai said.

Kai helped Toad get up.

"What was that thing?" Toad asked.

"I don't know, but I hope that we never see it again," Kai replied.

Kai and Toad walked back into the castle. A few hours later, a strange man walked toward the robot's head. He wore large, black pants and a red shirt. He wore black glasses. He was bald, but had a huge, brown mustache. The robot's eyes continued to flash until the man picked it up and pressed the button on the back of the head. This man was Dr. Robotnik (a.k.a. Eggman).

"It seems that my robot has failed," the man said. "It's a good thing that I installed a video camera into my latest models. Now I can see what happened."

Eggman looked up. A huge, red, flying ship was flying above the castle. A green beam surrounded him, and he flew into the ship.

He walked into a huge computer-room. He plugged the robot's head into a huge computer. He then hit a few keys on the computer's keyboard. A video of the fight was shown on the computer. Eggman hit a few more keys, and an energy-reading device appeared on the screen. Toad's energy level was about halfway up the scanner. Kai's energy level was about ¾ of the total amount.

Eggman continued to watch the fight. Eventually, he reached the part where Kai was about to blast his robot with his final attack. Eggman's eyes widened with shock.

Kai's energy level rose to the top. Then, the computer malfunctioned.

"It seems that the swordsman has a hidden energy source that activates when he is under stress," Eggman thought. "It's much like a defense mechanism that protects him from danger. Interesting…"


	3. Chapter 3: Ordon Village

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 3: Ordon Village**

Kai and Toad spent the next few nights watching for the enemy. They each would watch for half of the night so they both would get plenty of sleep. After a few nights of this, the morning they were waiting for finally arrived.

They were eating their breakfast when they heard the door open. Professor E. Gadd was standing there with two suitcases in his hands.

"Hello, everyone," Professor E. Gadd said. "I'm back!"

"Hey, Professor!" Toad exclaimed. "We've got something to show you."

"Let me see it, then," Professor E. Gadd replied.

Toad and Kai walked up to him and handed him the Chaos Emerald. After a few minutes of explaining what had happened, the Professor put the emerald into his pocket.

"I'll study this and find a way to track the rest of them," Professor E. Gadd said. "I should be done by tomorrow."

"Thanks," Kai said.

That afternoon, Kai and Toad started talking about what they did for the past two years.

"So what happened to Hazel and Zero?" Kai asked.

"Hazel went back home to her siblings," Toad said. "As for Zero, I don't know. I heard that he left the Gameon Islands to do some secret training."

"Maybe we'll meet up with them as we search for the Chaos Emeralds," Kai said.

"Maybe," Toad replied.

Meanwhile, Kamek was talking to Bowser about what he heard.

"Interesting," Bowser said. "So the Chaos Emeralds wield ultimate power when they are brought together. It's official: we must gather these Chaos Emeralds and rule the world!"

"Ok," Kamek said. "But I should let you know that I heard that the swordsman and the mushroom already have a Chaos Emerald."

Bowser's jaw dropped.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Bowser shouted angrily. "We have to gather the other six! We can then steal the last emerald from those two and use the ultimate power before they can steal it back."

"Great idea!" Kamek replied. "I've also heard that one emerald alone can double one's strength. If we have the other six, your strength will be far above those two."

"Then it is decided!" Bowser exclaimed. "Kamek, tell the troops that they all will be searching for the Chaos Emeralds. But you will not tell them why we need them."

"Why not?" Kamek asked.

"If you do, they'll want the emeralds for themselves," Bowser answered. "If they ask why we want them, tell them that I'll roast them if they don't search."

"Yes, sir!" Kamek exclaimed.

Kamek then flew away.

The following day, Kai and Toad met up with Professor E. Gadd. He had something thick and disc-shaped in his hand. It had a grid on its screen and a button on top of it.

"What is it?" Kai asked.

"This is my greatest invention ever!" Professor E. Gadd said. "Introducing the Chaos Radar! This device will locate the rest of the Emeralds. Here's how it works. First, you push the button on the top."

Professor E. Gadd then pushed the button. The grid showed a radar. There were seven, gem-shaped symbols on the grid. One of them was in the center. It was red.

"In the center are the Emeralds that you already have," Professor E. Gadd said. "If you twist the dial on the top, it'll either increase or decrease the amount of distance that the device shows."

He then handed the Emerald Radar to Toad.

"It kinda reminds me of the Dragon Radar for Dragon Ball Z," Kai said.

"What's 'Dragon Ball Z'?" Toad asked.

"I'll explain later," Kai replied. "Anyway, let's get started!"

"Kai, let me first show you the improvements on the S.S. Mushroom," Toad said.

A few minutes later, Kai and Toad were at the docks. The S.S. Mushroom, in all its glory, was the largest ship in the docks.

"It looks the same," Kai said.

"From the outside," Toad said. "Wait till we get on the ship."

A couple of hours later, Kai and Toad were waving good-bye to everyone of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"While you are searching for the Chaos Emeralds, could you do something for me?" Mario asked.

"What is it?" Kai asked.

"I need you to look for my brother, Luigi," Mario said. "He's been missing for a long time. Toad should know what he looks like."

"Ok," Kai said. "We'll keep a look out for him!"

With that, Toad ran to the ship's wheel. There was a lever to the right of the wheel. He pulled it and the sails folded up. A propeller appeared where the sails had been. The propeller began to spin and the ship began to rise into the air. Kai's eyes widened with shock.

"What's going on?!" Kai exclaimed.

"This is the ship's new improvement," Toad said. "This ship is now an airship."

"Can it stay in the air forever?" Kai asked.

"Not exactly," Toad said. "First of all, I need a power source. The Chaos Emerald works well. Secondly, this upgrade was meant just to get somewhere quick. Since we need to get to the next Chaos Emerald as quickly as possible, I turned this thing on. If I turn it on too much, the propeller will bust."

"Ok," Kai said. "Don't use it too much. Anyway, where's our first stop?"

"Let me check," Toad said as he took out the radar. "It looks like the first stop is Hyrule."

"Sweet!" Kai exclaimed. "I can't wait to see Link and Zelda again!"

"Kai, don't you remember?" Toad asked. "Zelda sent Hyrule hundreds of years into the future. It's different now. Who knows if there is a Link or a Zelda there anymore?"

"I forgot," Kai said. "Anyway, let's go get that emerald!"

The following day, the S.S. Mushroom docked at Hyrule. Kai and Toad packed everything they need, including the Chaos Emerald.

"Toad, why don't you need a staff anymore?" Kai asked.

"I've been practicing my spells so I can focus them within my hands," Toad said. "This makes my spells much stronger."

"Cool," Kai said.

Kai and Toad then hiked through Hyrule until they reached a town. This place was called "Ordon Village".

"This is cool," Kai said.

They looked around. The village was small, but it was full of happy people. Kids were running around and playing. The adults were going about their daily lives. A cat was staring into the river that flowed through the town.

"We can spend the night here," Toad said. "The Chaos Emerald deep within the forest."

"Ok," Kai replied.

"GOAT ON THE LOOSE!!!" a voice shouted.

Kai and Toad looked in the direction in which the voice came from. A ram with huge horns was rushing down from the ranch. Kai took out his sword, but this was not necessary. A blonde-haired teenager with blue eyes, pointed ears, and a rancher's outfit jumped in the way of the ram. He grabbed its horns and flipped it over. The town's official rancher then walked toward the goat and took it back up to the ranch. The teenager just stood there. Kai thought that he looked familiar.

"Toad, does he look familiar to you?" Kai asked.

"I think so," Toad said. "But it can't be, can it?"

Several of the villagers walked up to this teen.

"Great job, Link," one of them said.

"Link?!" Kai and Toad shouted in shock.

Nobody noticed them. A few minutes later, Link walked up to the ranch. Kai turned to Toad.

"Can it be the same Link?" Kai asked.

"Impossible," Toad answered. "Hyrule jumped hundreds of years into the future. It could be his descendant, however."

"Either way, I want to talk to him," Kai said. "I'll head up there."

Kai ran up to the ranch. Up at the ranch, Kai watched as Link rode his horse, Epona, and herd all of the goats there. When Link was done, Kai ran up to him.

"You're really good at that," Kai said.

"Thanks," Link said. "I've never seen you before. What's your name?"

"I'm Kai," Kai said. "And you're Link, right?"

"That's right," Link said. "And this is my horse, Epona."

Epona just grunted. Kai and Link then shook hands.

"Link, how good are you at sword-fighting?" Kai asked.

"I'm not an expert, but I have been practicing," Link said. "By the looks of the blade on your back, you must be an expert."

"I guess," Kai said. "Do you know where my friend and I can sleep tonight? We don't have a place to stay."

"You guys can stay at my place," Link answered. "It's just outside of the village. I'll set up the guest beds."

Link rode Epona outside of the ranch and into town.

"He's just like the Link from the past," Kai thought. "Not only is he a swordsman, he even has the same name and looks. He just has different clothes."

Kai ran back into town. He saw that Link was stopped by a teenage girl with short, blonde-hair, normal ears, a white dress, and brown boots.

"I can't believe that you treat Epona as roughly as you do!" the girl shouted angrily toward Link. "Her legs are wounded from her recent herding!"

She then pushed Link to the ground and walked out of town with Epona. Kai ran up to Link.

"Who's she?" Kai asked.

"That's Ilia," Link answered. "She's very temperamental when it comes to my horse."

"Maybe you should go talk to her and get your horse back," Kai said.

Toad walked up to them.

"I saw the whole thing," Toad said. "That was one angry lady."

"Let's go get my horse back," Link said.

Link, Kai, and Toad ran in the direction that Ilia took Epona.

They eventually came to a spring. Ilia was healing Epona's legs using the water from the spring. Ilia noticed that they were there.

"Link, could you play her song?" Ilia asked.

"Just one sec," Link said.

Link looked around and found a piece of grass that had the shape of a horseshoe. He then blew in it. It sounded just like an ocarina.

Epona then walked toward Link.

"It seems that she still prefers you," Ilia said. "Link, I want you to take real good care of your horse."

"I will," Link said.

Almost immediately after he said this, the ground began to shake.

"This can't be good," Toad said.

Suddenly, a green, orc-like being with horns came rushing in while riding a giant boar with horns. He looked down at Ilia, grabbed her, and tied her up. Kai, Link, and Toad rushed forward to save her, but they were hit by arrows from a distance. As they recovered by the sting of the arrows, the orc knocked them out by hitting them on the head with a club. He then blew a horn and rode away from the spring and the village. Kai, Link, and Toad woke up. Epona had been scared away, and Ilia and the orc were gone.

"Ilia!" Link shouted. "I have to save her!"

"Where did she go?" Kai asked.

"Since there is no screaming, he couldn't have gone to the village," Toad said. "He must've gone to the right, away from the village."

"Then let's go!" Link shouted.

Link began to run in the direction that the orc went. Kai began to follow him. He then turned to Toad.

"Toad, stay in the village just in case that the orc-guy comes back," Kai said.

"Ok," Toad said. "I'll protect this place with my life."

Kai then ran toward where Link ran off, and Toad ran toward the village. Kai caught up with Link, who was standing in awe at the strange sight ahead of them. There was a huge, black wall blocking their path.

"Do you think that he went this way?" Kai asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Link replied.

Link and Kai walked up to the wall. Suddenly, a black arm grew from the wall and grabbed them. It then pulled them both into the wall. Everything went black. When Kai woke up, he was in a strange, dark world. He found it hard to breathe in here. He looked to his left and saw that Link was here as well. After a few moments, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Link looked like he was in pain. A Triforce symbol shined on Link's right hand, and Kai's sword began to glow. Kai's sword disappeared, and he began to change. His arms and legs became incredibly hairy, his nose and mouth extended forward, and he began to take the shape of a wolf. Link was going through the exact same change. They both turned into wolves. After the transformation, Kai and Link passed out again. A strange, black creature walked up to them and dragged them toward a castle in the distance.


	4. Chapter 4: Twilight Princess

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 4: Twilight Princess**

Kai's eyes slowly opened. He noticed that he was in a jail cell, but something was wrong: he felt shorter than normal. He looked down and saw that his hands and feet had been replaced by paws. He also noticed that he had a tail. He also saw that he had a chain on his back, left paw. He ran as far as the chain would let him. He found some water and looked at his reflection. He had turned into a wolf!

"What the hell is going on?!" Kai thought. "I'm a wolf!"

Kai then looked around and saw another wolf in the cell. It too was chained up by its back, left paw. After he saw the Triforce symbol on the wolf's front, right paw, he knew that it was Link. Link was asleep.

"Where are we?" Kai thought. "The last thing I remember is that we were pulled into a black wall. Then…then…why can't I remember what happened next? How did we end up here?"

Link slowly woke up. He also was surprised by where they were. Link saw Kai and began to speak. He was barking like a wolf, but Kai understood him.

"Where are we?" Link asked.

"I'm not sure," Kai replied (he was also barking like a wolf). "I'm trying to figure that out myself."

"I found you!" a female voice exclaimed from behind them.

Kai and Link turned around. From the shadows, a strange, imp-like creature appeared. Half of her face was covered with a strange mask.

"Ooh! Aren't you scary?" the imp said.

Kai and Link began to growl at the imp.

"Eeh hee," the imp laughed. "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and growling at me? Well that's too bad."

The imp got close up to them.

"I was planning on helping you…if you were nice," the imp continued.

Kai and Link calmed down.

"Eeh hee!" the imp laughed. "That's much better. You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?

"Oops, but you AREN'T human anymore humans anymore, are you? You're a beast! Eeh hee!"

Kai tried to bite at her, but she got out of the way.

"There, there," the imp continued. "You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite!

"I bet you're wondering where exactly we are. Well, I'll make you a deal. If the two of you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you."

She then broke the chains on Kai and Link's paws and floated through the bars. Though he was confused by this, Kai looked around at his surroundings. He noticed a small batch of dirt under the bars. The patch was big enough for Kai to dig through. Kai then walked over to the dirt and began to dig. Once he was through, Link followed him. Once Link was through, the imp landed on Link's back.

"Hmph! I guess you're not completely stupid after all," the imp continued. "Listen, I like you two, so I think I'll get you out of here. But in exchange for my help, you must do EXACTLY what I say.

"So, are we all clear? Now, come on! Get moving!"

The imp steered Link like a horse in the direction she wanted. Kai followed them. They eventually came to a closed gate. Link looked up and saw a chain hanging on the ceiling.

"You should know what to do," the imp said.

Kai figured out what she meant. He latched his teeth onto the chain. His weight pulled down the chain, and the gate opened. Kai and Link ran through it.

The gate led to a long path. They then noticed a soldier leaning against the wall. He looked like he was a ghost.

"What are these black things?" the soldier asked. "Where are they coming from? How do we get out of here?"

The soldier didn't notice Kai, Link, or the imp.

"It looks like the spirits in here are all soldiers," the imp said. "Where in the world could we be? Eeh hee!"

Kai and Link eventually reached the end of the path. At the end were stairs. At the top of the staircase was an entrance to the roof of wherever they were. The sky was completely black.

"So, we were finally able to get out," the imp said. "And look at that sky! Isn't the black cloud of twilight looking beautiful today?"

"Twilight?" Kai thought.

"Do you know where this is?" the imp asked. "There's someone I want to introduce you to, but I'll need you to go to that tower to do it!"

The imp pointed out a tower on the opposite side of the roof. Kai and Link then started to run toward the tower, but large, black birds started to attack them. Kai and Link weren't used to fighting as wolves, but they decided to try their best.

Kai jumped up and bit into one of the birds. He dug his teeth deeper and deeper into the bird's flesh until it disappeared. Link was doing the same to another one of the birds. Eventually, the birds were all gone.

Kai then looked forward and saw another soldier.

"So there are even spirits up here, huh?" the imp said. "The whole spirit thing is pretty new to you, isn't it? Even though these guys can see those monsters, they don't know a thing about the two of you!

"If you thing I'm lying, why don't you walk up to them and listen to what they're saying."

Kai and Link walked up to the solder. She was right! The soldier didn't notice them, no matter what they tried.

"What…what are these monstrous birds?" the soldier suddenly asked himself. "What in the world is happening here? Ah, our poor **Hyrule Castle**!"

Kai's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he just heard. This was Hyrule Castle?!

"Look!" the imp shouted. "Just a little farther!"

Kai and Link continued to run toward the castle. They then jumped from the shingles and entered through a window into the tower. The stairs spiraled up to a hardwood door. The imp then opened the door. The door led to a room that gazed out toward the twilight. In the corner was a cloaked woman. She looked sad. She then saw Kai, Link, and the imp.

"Midna?!" the woman exclaimed.

"Eee hee!" the imp laughed. "You remember my name? What an honor for me…"

"So, these two are the ones for whom you were searching…" the woman began.

"They're not exactly what I had in mind, but…I guess they'll do," Midna said.

The woman noticed the broken chains on Kai and Link's paws.

"You were imprisoned?!" the woman exclaimed. "I am sorry."

"They have no idea where this is or what's happened…" Midna said. "So, don't you think you should explain to them what you've managed to do? You owe them that much…Twilight Princess! Eee hee!"

The woman took off the hood of the cloak. She looked exactly like the Princess Zelda from the past. Kai guessed that she had the exact same name as well.

"Listen carefully," Zelda began. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule.

"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight…

"It has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the light."

A flashback began. The Princess and some soldiers were in the throne room of Hyrule Castle. Soon, Hylian soldiers began to fall to monsters of the twilight as a strange man walked into the room. His face was covered with a helmet, so it was not visible. He also wore armor with a long cloak under it. The soldiers continued to fall.

Zelda then drew a rapier and pointed it toward this man.

"It is time for you to choose: surrender or die," the man said. "Oh yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule…Life? Or death?!"

Zelda then dropped her rapier and surrendered to this man. The whole castle was then surrounded by twilight. The flashback ended.

"Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits," Zelda continued. "Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms.

"All the people know now is fear…fear of a nameless evil. The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess. I am Zelda."

"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna laughed. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"

"Midna, this is no time for levity," Zelda said. "The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?"

"Why indeed?" Midna laughed. "You tell me! Eee hee hee!"

Footsteps were heard from below them.

"Time has grown short," Zelda said. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here, quickly."

Kai, Link, and Midna leave through the window that they came in.

"Eee hee hee!" Midna laughed. "Well? Do you understand where we are now?"

Kai and Link nodded.

"I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll let you go back to where you first tumbled into twilight. But…are you really sure you should be going back? Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything important?"

Midna then transformed into Ilia and pretended to scream in fright.

Kai and Link's eyes widened.

"Eee hee!" Midna laughed, still in the form of Ilia. "Do you want to save her?"

Kai and Link nodded again.

"Well, in that case, little Midna would be happy to help you," Midna said. "But you'll have to be my servants. And, like servants, you'll have to do exactly as I say!

Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought. Eee hee hee!"

Darkness surrounded Kai and Link. When the darkness faded, they found themselves just outside of the spring where Ilia took Epona. But they noticed that they were still wolves.

"Oh, that's right," Midna's voice said from nowhere. "I forgot to mention one thing: though you may have left the darkened realm, you two haven't transformed back into your former selves…and you won't anytime soon! Now why could that be? Eee hee hee! See you later!"

Her voice faded away. Kai then turned to Link.

"I wonder if this twilight could spread outside of Hyrule," Kai said. "If it can, then everyone is in danger."

"I still wonder why we're still wolves," Link said. "We'd better figure out a way to return to normal."

Kai and Link began to run into town. What kind of trials will they face when they enter the town? Who knows?


	5. Chapter 5: Back to Ordon Village

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 5: Back to Ordon Village**

Kai and Link took a few steps forward.

"So, um, what's next?" Midna's voice said from nowhere.

Kai and Link looked around. From their shadows, a shadow that looked like Midna floated in front of them.

"Did you think I'd disappeared?" Midna asked. "Listen, there's another thing I forgot to tell you…don't think you can run off and save your friends, because you can't.

"Just beyond that bride, the land is covered in twilight. But if you want to go that way like this time, you'll need the cooperation of someone FROM the twilight…like me!

"So you really have no choice but to do what I say. Saving your friends and all that…well, that'll depend on your actions. Because you never can trust words, you know.

"Right now, I want a sword and shield that'll suit me. You do understand me, don't you? Eeh hee hee!"

Midna disappeared into Link's shadow.

"Where can we get a sword and shield?" Kai asked.

"I heard that there was a sword and a shield in town," Link said. "I guess we'll HAVE to head there."

They walked past Link's house on their way back into town.

"Wait!" a voice shouted from the house.

They looked toward where the voice came from. The only thing there, however, was a squirrel.

"I don't know what you've come here to do, but if you're going into town, be careful," the squirrel said. "THEY came and made both the forest and the village a mess. They kidnapped the children from the village. But you're different…you're not a bad thing, are you? I can tell, because you smell like the trees of Ordon. If you run into any trouble, try talking to the animals in town. We animals understand one another, so you'll be fine!"

The squirrel ran off.

"I just talked to a squirrel," Kai thought. "This whole thing is getting more and more confusing."

Kai and Link then walked into town. They looked around and saw two guys talking to each other. One was big and his mustache made him look like a boar. Kai and Link decided to listen in on their conversations, so they hid in the nearby grass.

"…So, that shield is still in your house, right?" the big guy asked.

"Uh, yeah, it should be in our storage loft," the other man answered.

"Good!" the big guy exclaimed. "Go grab it as quickly as you can! Rusl got wounded pretty bad, so he can't go search for the kids. I'll take over for him."

"But Rusl had a sword, Mayor!" the other guy shouted. "And he STILL got hurt! If you're unarmed, you're done for!"

"I'll be fine," the mayor said. "The sword we were going to present to the royal family should still be at Rusl's house."

"Oh yeah?" the other guy replied. "All right, I understand, Mayor. I'll hurry up and get that shield. You wait here…"

Kai and Link walked out of the grass.

"No good!" the mayor shouted. "RUN!"

The mayor and the other guy ran off. Midna appeared from Link's shadow again.

"That's not a bad bit of information you heard, huh?" Midna said.

They looked toward the house with the shield in it. The window was wide open.

"Ugh," Midna groaned. "Look at that open window. This village is full of idiots. So, we should jump up there…but from where?"

Midna once again disappeared into Link's shadow. Kai and Link then walked toward the window.

"MON-MONSTERS!" a voice shouted.

Kai and Link turned to face the voice. A weak-looking man was standing on top of a tall patch of ground. A strange blade of grass was right at his feet.

"You've returned for more, haven't you?!" the man shouted. "My…my daughter. Return her! And TAKE THIS!"

The man bent down and plucked the blade of grass. He blew into it and a hawk flew onto his shoulder.

"ATTACK!" the man shouted.

The hawk began to bombard Link and Kai until they ran off. They hid so the man couldn't see them.

"We won't be able to get into that house at this rate," Kai said.

"Maybe if we scare him, we won't have to worry about that hawk," Link said. "He's easily scared, so we'll just have to find a way to sneak up on him."

Kai looked around. He noticed a house that was out of the man's line-of-sight. He also noticed other tall patches of earth that led behind the man.

"I've got an idea," Kai said. "Follow me."

Kai then hopped onto the house. Link followed him. The two of them hopped from earth to earth until they got right behind the man. Kai then let out a huge bark and the man fell of the large patch of earth. The man then ran away. Kai was laughing at this.

"That was fun," Kai said.

Kai and Link then hopped into the house. They found a wooden shield on the wall. Midna emerged from Link's shadow.

"Eee hee!" Midna laughed. "Found it! Found it!"

Midna then picked the shield up and examined it.

"It looks…kind of cheap," Midna said. "Alright, then. Next is a sword. Hurry up and get one!"

Midna disappeared again. Kai and Link then jumped out of the house. Link then led Kai toward Rusl's house. Just outside of it, they saw the mayor, and both men from earlier. They were talking to a man with a broken arm, a pregnant woman, and Toad.

"Some monsters just showed up out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of us!" the mayor shouted.

"They even got past my hawk!" the weak man said. "They are smart ones."

"No matter how tough they are, I will still fight them off," said the man with the broken arm.

"No, Rusl!" the pregnant woman shouted. "If you fight in this condition, you'll be killed!"

"She's right," Toad said. "I'll take these creatures on."

"Are you sure?!" the mayor shouted. "You don't look that strong!"

"I may not look strong, but I helped save the whole Gameon Islands from falling to the darkness," Toad said. "My magic will stop any creature that comes our way. I made a promise to Kai that I'll protect this village will my life, and I'll do just that!"

Toad then walked away from the rest of the group. He began to walk toward Kai and Link. They hid in the grass again.

"This isn't good," Link said. "We'll have to get past your friend if we are to get that sword."

"You're right," Kai said.

Kai and Link then began to sneak past Toad. Kai stepped on a twig, and Toad found them.

"If you think that you're going to hurt the other villagers, you're badly mistaken!" Toad shouted angrily.

"Toad, it's me!" Kai shouted.

But since Kai is a wolf, his shout came out as barks. Toad thought that the wolves were taunting him, so he began to blast them with **Fira** and **Blizzara** spells. Kai and Link dodged each of these blasts. Kai then tried to rush toward Toad, but Toad blasted him with a **Thundara** spell and blew him back.

While Toad was distracted by Kai, Link tried to sneak over to Rusl's house, but this didn't work. Toad spotted him and blasted him with another **Fira** spell. Heavily injured, Kai and Link ran off to hide.

"You better run!" Toad shouted. "If you come back, I'll kill you!"

Kai and Link began to rest in the grass.

"What can we do?" Link asked. "Your friend is tough. But we have to get past him to get that sword."

"Toad's spells may be powerful, but he doesn't have as much endurance as I do," Kai said. "He eventually runs out of magical energy and won't be able to fight back. We'll just have to dodge each attack until that happens."

Kai and Link then jumped back out.

"Back for more?" Toad asked. "Fine then!"

Toad began to blast Kai and Link with more spells. Each of these blasts were smoothly dodged. Eventually, Toad became tired.

"I…can't…keep…this…up…much…longer," Toad panted. "Luckily, I still have a trump card."

Toad pulled out a small vial of blue liquid. He then drank the liquid. He looked like he had full strength again.

"It's a good thing I keep extra Elixirs handy," Toad said.

Toad then continued to blast Kai and Link. Kai and Link hid again.

"How was I supposed to know that Toad had a magic-restoring potion in his backpack?" Kai asked. "This is the first time that I've heard of it."

"What do we do?" Link said.

"We'll have to sneak up on him," Kai said. "You distract him, and I'll attack him from the back."

"Alright," Link said. "Let's do this!"

Link then jumped out of the grass. Toad saw him and blasted him with spell. While Toad was doing this, Kai quietly snuck out of the grass. He then crept up behind Toad and lunged at him. He knocked Toad over. Toad struggled to get up, but to no avail. Kai kept standing on top of him until Toad gave up.

Kai and Link then walked toward the house.

"Wait a minute!" Toad thought. "Why aren't they finishing me off? I think that they aren't evil creatures after all."

Kai and Link, having finished their battle against Toad, walked behind Rusl's house. The rest of the villagers were at the front door.

"How do we get in?" Kai asked.

"Maybe we can dig in," Link suggested.

Kai and Link looked around for a patch of dirt they could dig through. Kai found one and sniffed it.

"This one smells like it leads inside!" Kai exclaimed. "I can smell something cooking inside."

Kai and Link then dug into the dirt. They ended up inside of the house. A sword was on a couch inside the house. Midna appeared from the shadows.

"All right," Midna said. "So now you have a sword. Looks like you can actually be useful when you concentrate!

"All right. No more detours. I'm going to take you back into the twilight. Go back to the woods where you first transformed into that shape."

Kai and Link ran out of town. They passed by the spring.

"Wait…" a mysterious voice said from the spring. "You have…been transformed…by the power…of shadow. Come…to me."

Kai and Link walked over to the spring. Eventually, they came really close.

"Beware…a shadow being…it approaches…" the voice said out of nowhere.

Another shadow creature, just like before, teleported in front of them.

"What is that thing?!" Kai shouted.

The creature lunged toward them. Kai and Link jumped out of the way. Kai then lunged toward the creature and began to bite at it. It eventually knocked him off. Link then bit at the creature. After a few more bites, the creature disappeared.

"That was simple," Kai said.

Suddenly, rocks behind the spring began to glow. The lights came together and took the form of some sort of wolf/stag hybrid. It had golden horns that had an orb of light between them.

"O brave youths…" the light creature said. "I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona.

"The black beast you slayed was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light I wield.

"My brethren in Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these fell beasts. The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld by the cursed powers of darkness.

"The blight will not stop with Hyrule. Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight, once the seven gems of power have been found."

"He must mean the Chaos Emeralds!" Kai thought.

"To save this land from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered. The three light spirits who have lost their light must be revived. There is but one who can revive them and redeem this land…you."

He referred to Link.

"You still have not discovered your true power," the spirit continued. "Those transformed by twilight usually cannot recover their original forms. Unless…if you were to return to Faron Woods where you were first transformed…if you were to revive the light spirit…

"There, by the power of the light spirit, you may find the means to regain your other state of being…"

The spirit disappeared. Kai and Link looked at each other.

"So this 'King of Twilight' wants to cover the entire world with darkness," Kai said. "But he can't do that without the Chaos Emeralds. Luckily, Toad and I are already gathering those. Link, you can restore light to the other spirits of Hyrule while Toad and I gather the Chaos Emeralds! That way, the world will be safe."

"Alright," Link said. "But we first have to return to our original forms."

"Then we have to go into the twilight," Kai said. "Let's go!"

Kai and Link ran toward the huge wall of darkness, where they first were plunged into the twilight.


	6. Chapter 6: Return of the Light

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 6: Return of the Light**

Kai and Link eventually made it to the huge, black wall. Midna then rose from Link's shadow.

"Are you ready to enter the Twilight?" Midna asked. "You might not be able to return here."

Kai and Link nodded.

"Then get right here," Midna continued.

Midna then ran through the black wall. A huge hand then rose from the wall, grabbed Kai and Link, and pulled them in.

Once on the other side, Midna was on Link's back. She was holding the sword in her hands and the shield on her head.

"So these are the weapons you use in your world?" Midna said.

She swung the sword blindly, nearly decapitating Kai and Link.

"You really thing these things can slay the creatures of twilight?" Midna said. "Well, I won't use these, but I'll hang on to them for you."

Midna snapped her fingers and made the sword and shield disappear.

"Alright, a promise is a promise," Midna continued. "I trust you enough to help. In exchange for my help, though, I need you to gather some things for me. Look, I can't give you all the details now, but it will be easy, trust me."

A strange noise was heard in the distance.

"But enough about that," Midna said. "Do you hear that noise? It's the lamentation of the spirit that had its light stolen.

"Where in the world could it be? Eee Hee!"

Kai and Link began to run toward where the sound was coming from. Eventually, they were surrounded by strange stones. A red, lightning-like energy surrounded the stones, creating an impenetrable fence.

"What's going on?!" Kai shouted.

Three shadow beings, like the one from before, appeared out of nowhere.

"Pffft!" Midna shouted. "How do they thing they're dealing with? No need to take care of these little pests one at a time, right? You can take them all at once! So…you two can handle this by yourselves, can't you? Good luck!"

With that, Midna disappeared.

"That cowardly son of a…" Kai began.

But he was interrupted by the shadow creatures as they charged toward them. Kai started to bite one while Link bit the other. After a few bites on each of the shadow creatures, the first two fell over and died.

"Just one left," Kai said.

The third one let out a huge shriek. Kai and Link tried to cover their ears to avoid the sound. Suddenly, the first two shadow beings rose back to life.

"What the hell?!" Link shouted.

Kai and Link attempted to kill them again. Whenever they killed the first two, the last one would let out a shriek and bring the other two back to life. Eventually, Kai and Link were backed into a corner. They were exhausted from battling.

"How…long…can…we…keep…this…up?" Kai panted.

Midna then appeared out of nowhere.

"What's the holdup?" Midna asked. "If you leave the last one alive, it's just going to use that shriek to bring the others back."

"It's not like we can kill them all at the same time!" Kai shouted.

"With my power, you can," Midna said. "Link, I'll give you some of my power. Just get close enough to them."

Link did just as she said. The shadow beings crept slowly on their new prey. Midna then lifted a huge, red arm from her head. The arm glowed, and some strange, black energy surrounded Link. Once this energy also surrounded the three shadow beings, Midna let loose the energy.

With a sudden burst of energy, Link jumped from one shadow being to the other and killed them all in one bite. Once all three shadow beings were bitten, the fence disappeared as well as the creatures.

"Whoa," Kai said. "That was amazing!"

"That's just a small bit of my power," Midna said. "Now, let's not waste time! We have to find that spirit, don't we? Eee hee!"

Kai and Link looked ahead and found a spring, just like the one from earlier. They found a weakened spirit in the spring.

"Please…be careful," the spirit said. "These woods…have changed. The dark clouds that cover this land…this drape of shadows is called…twilight.

"In this twilight, those who lived in the light…became as mere spirits…it is a place…where the dark ones and evil creatures dwell…

"I…am a spirit…of light. Blue-eyed beast and purple-eyed beast. Look…for my light. Retrieve the light stolen by the dark beasts…and keep it…in this vessel."

A strange container appeared out of nowhere. Link took it.

"In the shadows of twilight…the dark insects are as…invisible…as normal beings are here…

"Find…the insects of darkness. The dark insects…they are the form taken by evil…once it has latched on to…our scattered light…"

The spirit's voice faded away. Kai and Link then left the spring and began their insect hunt. They searched around for half-an-hour and didn't find anything.

"These things are invisible!" Kai exclaimed. "How are we going to find them?"

"I wonder…" Link began.

Link closed his eyes and used his nose to guide his way. In his mind's eye, he saw a strange insect. It was directly ahead of them.

"Over hear!" Link shouted.

He kept his eyes closed. He jumped at the invisible insect and bit it. Kai didn't understand what was going on, but he understood when he saw the ball of light appear out of nowhere. The ball of light disappeared into the container that Link had.

"Wow!" Kai exclaimed. "How did you do that?!"

"Close your eyes and use your mind's eye," Link answered.

Kai then closed his eyes. He found another insect to their left.

"Found one!" Kai shouted.

Kai pounced on it, and another ball of light appeared. It disappeared into the container, just like the first.

"We still need a lot more," Link said.

After about an hour, they only needed about two more balls of light. Kai and Link eventually found a spirit-like monkey surrounded by two insects.

"Yeek eek!" the monkey shouted. "Help!"

Kai and Link destroyed these insects. They then opened their eyes. The balls of light floated above them.

"Someone…someone helped me?" the monkey said. "Boy, lucky for me…ever since the boss went funny in the head, there've been scary monsters everywhere…

"Those village kids got led through the woods for some reason. The whole forest is so weird now…what's happened?"

The balls of light disappeared into the container. Then, a huge burst of light filled the forest. When the light faded, Kai and Link found themselves at the spring they were at earlier. Kai stood up, and found that he was standing on two legs. He also saw that the fur was gone from his legs and arms. He was also wearing clothes! He looked at his reflection from the spring. He was human again! He looked over toward Link, who was now wearing a green tunic, much like the Link from the past.

"We're back to normal!" Kai shouted with glee.

Midna hopped on the rocks in the spring. She had returned to her shadow-like form.

"Aww, but it was so nice here in the twilight," Midna said. "What's so great about a world of light anyway?"

Midna then disappeared into Link's shadow. The rocks of the spring began to glow. The light from the spring took the form of a monkey.

"My name is Faron," the spirit said. "I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. I use the life force of the gods to protect the forest.

"O brave youths…

"In the land covered in twilight, where the people roam as spirits, you two were transformed into beasts…

"That was a sign…

"It was a sign that the powers of the chosen ones rest within you…and that they are awakening.

"Blue-eyed one…look at your awakened form. The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods…

"His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you.

"Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods.

"Brave Link…a dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away.

"Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice. You must match the power of the king of shadows.

"If you must seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths.

"Swordsman of light, the crystal that you seek is also within the temple. But be warned: the king of shadows also seeks this crystal's power. You may end up fighting against him in the end of your journey. Prepare yourself…"

With that, the spirit faded away. Midna then reappeared from Link's shadow.

"Well, well," Midna said. "You're the chosen hero and all that, huh? And you are a swordsman of light or something. So THAT'S why you both turned into beasts!

"What a shame…I mean, maybe you both would rather just wander as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity…right? Eee hee hee! So…what do you want to do? Do you want to head to that temple?"

Kai and Link both nodded.

"Well, isn't that convenient!" Midna exclaimed happily. "I was about to head there myself. Hey, look…you want to help your friends, right? The way I see it, maybe they're in the temple, waiting for you to rescue them…

"Well, good luck, you important heroes!"

Midna then disappeared into Link's shadow again.

"HEY!!!" a voice shouted from behind them.

Kai and Link turned around. They saw Toad rushing toward them.

"Toad?!" Kai exclaimed. "I thought you were guarding the town!"

Toad stopped right in front of them.

"I was," Toad said. "But suddenly, the villagers and I saw a huge burst of light coming from the forest. They were worried about you two, so they sent me to go after you. Where have you guys been? Did you find Ilia yet? Apparently, the village children went missing as well."

"We haven't found them yet," Kai answered. "We heard that they might be in the temple that's near here. We also heard that the Chaos Emerald is in there as well."

"Seriously?!" Toad exclaimed.

Toad then took out his Chaos Radar. He looked at it.

"The radar does say that there is a Chaos Emerald somewhere in the forest," Toad said. "We might as well check the temple out."

"Then let's go!" Kai shouted.

Kai, Link, and Toad headed deeper in the woods.

"You won't believe what happened to me in the village," Toad said. "I had to fight off these wolves…"


	7. Chapter 7: Deeper into the Woods

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 7: Deeper into the Woods**

"…and then I found you guys," Toad finished as they walked deeper and deeper into the forest.

As they moved further and further, the forest became darker and darker. Eventually, Link took out his lantern in order to see where they were going.

"So what exactly happened to you guys," Toad asked.

"It's a long story," Kai said.

Soon, they reached a clearing. A thick fog covered the forest ahead of them.

"I guess we should just cross the fog," Kai said.

Kai started to run toward the fog.

"Kai, wait!" Toad shouted.

Kai stopped just a few inches from the fog.

"This fog seems dangerous," Toad said. "If we try to cross it, we could end up passing out."

"How can fog knock someone out?" Kai asked.

"Trust me, it can happen," Toad said. "Link's lantern should be able to move the fog out of our way."

Just as Toad said that, something ran from behind Link and grabbed the lantern. It then put the lantern onto a stick and ran to where Kai was. Suddenly, Midna appeared from Link's shadow. Toad was surprised by the sudden appearance of this stranger.

"Hey, what's this monkey's problem?" Midna asked angrily. "You idiot! While you were staring into dreamland, your lantern got stolen."

"Who or what are you?!" Toad shouted.

"That's right," Kai said. "We never introduced you two. Toad, this is Midna. Midna, this is my good buddy, Toad."

"Let's get back on the subject," Midna said. "What are you going to do with that monkey?"

Just then, the monkey began to wave the lantern around with the stick. The fog began to clear.

"I think she wants to help us," Kai said. "Let's follow her.

"What makes you think that it's a girl?" Toad asked.

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "Something about it just makes me think that it's a girl."

"You could always look down," Toad said.

"Let's just follow her," Link said.

Midna disappeared into Link's shadow, and Kai, Link, and Toad began to follow the monkey through the fog. Periodically, a strange, goblin-like creature called a moblin would appear from the fog. The monkey would be too scared to move when it saw one, so Kai, Link, or Toad would destroy the moblin so they continue through the fog. Eventually, they reached the other side of the fog. The monkey then dropped the lantern and ran off.

"Where's it going?" Kai asked.

Link ran toward the lantern and picked it up. He shook it and found that it had no oil in it.

"Well, this sucks," Link said. "No oil means no light."

"Where can we get more oil?" Kai asked.

"How about over there?" Toad suggested as he pointed ahead of them. A parrot was sitting on top of a box with a dollar-symbol on it. To its left were two barrels. One had oil in it and the other had a strange, red potion in it.

"That's convenient," Toad said. "Link, let's go over there."

"Alright," Link said.

Link and Toad ran over to the parrot's shop. Kai began to follow them, but he heard some rustling from behind him. He turned around and saw a strange, golden wolf. It stared at him. Kai drew his sword and prepared for a fight. The wolf then pounced on him. A strange light surrounded him. When the light faded, the wolf was gone. In fact, the whole forest was gone. He was in a strange field. He looked around. Eventually, the wolf reappeared. Kai rubbed his eyes to make sure that what he saw was real. When he opened his eyes, the wolf was replaced by a skeletal warrior wearing armor and wielding a sword.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage," the warrior said.

"I have courage," Kai said. "You should see what I have to face."

But the warrior ignored what he just said.

"You may be destined to become the hero of legend, but your current power would disgrace the proud blue of the sword you wield," the warrior said. "You must use your courage to seek power, and find it you must. Only then will you become the hero for whom this world despairs.

"If you do find true courage, and you wish to save everyone from the horrors they now face, then you will be worthy to receive the secrets I hold!"

"I'm ready to learn," Kai said.

"Very well," the warrior said. "I will now teach you the first of many techniques that I know."

Kai and the warrior drew their swords.

"While your blade is sharp, it cannot cut through some obstacles," the warrior continued. "By now, you've learned to control magical energy, right?"

"Yep," Kai answered.

"This technique requires the use of your magic," the warrior said. "First, you must surround your blade with magical energy."

A white stream of visible energy surrounded the warrior's blade.

"You must be sure to only use the energy that you need, or you will tire easily," the warrior continued. "The next step is to focus the energy into a sharp blade."

The white energy surrounding the warrior's blade began to sharpen. His sword looked sharper than it did before.

"You must concentrate, or the energy will fade," the warrior said. "Using this technique you can cut through most objects with ease. Practice this technique now."

Kai began to concentrate his magical energy into his sword. Just like the warrior's energy, his turned white. He tried to sharpen it, but he lost is focus. After a few more tries, he finally kept the energy sharp for a couple of minutes.

"You've done it," the warrior said. "As I suspected, you are a quick learner. The first hidden skill, the **Dragon Claw**, has been passed on!"

Kai then sheathed his sword.

"There are still two other hidden skills for you to learn," the warrior said. "Those are only for one who carries the blood of the hero…the one whose spirit is that of a sublime beast.

"Grow powerful. Test your courage. And when you find that you need another skill to overcome the threats that face you, search for the statues that howl with the sound of the wind. Seek the sound that calls to the spirit of the beast to awaken me again.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. Remember those words…"

As he said that final sentence, his voice faded away. A bright light surrounded the entire field. When the light faded, he found himself on the forest floor. Toad and Link were standing over him.

"Did you guys see it?!" Kai shouted.

"See what?" Toad asked.

"The wolf!" Kai answered. "The golden wolf! It attacked me and I was suddenly in a strange field I had never seen before!"

"We didn't see any wolf," Link said. "We did our shopping and found you passed out on the ground. If there had been any enemies nearby, you'd be dead."

"But I did see it!" Kai exclaimed.

"Kai, I'll just take your word for it," Toad said. "But I'm telling you, you were on the ground the whole time. Let's just go into the temple already."

Kai, Toad, and Link began to head deeper into the forest. Kai was deep in thought the whole time that they were walking. Eventually, they reached a strange door in the forest.

"This must be where the Forest Temple is," Kai said. "Let's go in."

Kai, Toad, and Link walked into the dark temple. Almost immediately after they entered, they saw a cage ahead of them. In the cage was a familiar monkey. Midna appeared from Link's shadow.

"Hey!" Midna exclaimed. "That's the monkey that stole your lantern!"

Kai began to reach for his bomb-rock bag. Toad stopped him.

"We want to free the monkey, not kill it," Toad said.

"Aw," Kai groaned. "I wanted to blow something up again. I miss those days."

"I bet that we can open this cage with a sword," Link said. "Let me do it."

Link then slashed at the cage. The cage split in half, and the monkey escaped. The monkey then reached a large, vine wall. It turned to Kai, Link, and Toad and jumped up and down.

"Doesn't it look like she's beckoning you?" Midna asked. "Aren't you guys popular? Eee hee!"

Midna then disappeared into Link's shadow. Kai, Toad, and Link began to follow the monkey. They climbed the vine wall into a large room. Gigantic spider webs covered some of the walls.

"Whatever made these webs has got to be huge!" Kai exclaimed as he looked at the webs. Unknown to Kai, Toad, or Link, something was watching them from above. It looked hungrily at them.

"Does anyone have the feeling that we're being watched?" Kai asked.

"No, why?" Link asked.

"No reason," Kai answered.

Suddenly, a gigantic spider fell from the ceiling and landed right in front of them. The monkey began to cower in fear. The spider knocked Toad and Link into a web. They stuck to the web and couldn't move. Kai reached for the bag on his waist. He pulled out a bomb-rock. He then threw it at the spider. The rock exploded and the spider was no more. Kai grabbed the lantern from Link and used it to burn away the web so Link and Toad could escape.

"You can solve all of your problems by blowing them up," Kai said. "I just proved it right there."

The monkey then led them up some stairs and onto a platform. There were several vines connected to the platform that led to several doors. The monkey climbed onto the vine and hung upside down.

"I think I know what to do," Kai said.

Kai ran forward and jumped toward the monkey. The monkey grabbed Kai and threw him toward the door. Link and Toad did the exact same thing. Once they reached the door, the monkey followed them through it. They were in the open air. There was an old-looking bridge across a canyon that led to another door.

"I say that we should go there," Kai said.

They walked toward the bridge. They then noticed a baboon on the other side of the bridge. It had a strange, purple thing on its head and a boomerang in its hand. It used the boomerang to slice the sides of the bridge and destroy it.

"No!" Toad shouted.

"Bad monkey!" Kai shouted.

The baboon then taunted them by smacking its huge, red butt and ran off.

"That sucks," Kai said.

Midna appeared from Link's shadow.

"Oh! What's going on?!" Midna asked. "Has there been a monkey fight?! Oh no! Now we can't go any farther. We might as well go back."

The monkey began to call Kai and his friends back toward the door.

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems like she wants to take you somewhere, so maybe you should just follow her," Midna continued.

Midna then disappeared into Link's shadow. Kai, Toad, and Link then followed the monkey through the door.


	8. Chapter 8: Monkey Hunt

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 8: Monkey Hunt**

Kai, Toad, and Link followed their monkey friend into the main room, where they fought the spider. The monkey took them across another vine, which led to a second door. Kai, Toad, Link, and the monkey entered this door. The new room looked like a field with a totem pole in it. On top of the totem pole was a cage with another monkey in it.

"Another monkey!" Kai shouted.

"We'd better free it too, or it will be moblin food," Toad said.

Toad pointed out that two moblins were guarding the totem pole. The monkey in the cage was shaking in fear.

"We have to save that monkey!" Kai shouted.

Kai jumped down toward the moblins. One moblin charged toward him and began to attack. Kai smoothly dodged his attacks and destroyed him with only a few slashes. The other one tried to pull a sneak attack, but Toad blasted that moblin with a **Fira** spell and destroyed it.

"That was easy," Kai said. "Thanks for covering my back, Toad."

"No problem," Toad said. "We'd better get that monkey out of the cage."

Kai, Link, and Toad looked at the cage, which was out of their reach.

"We'll have to knock him off," Kai said.

"If you even touch one bomb-rock, I'll take them away from you," Toad said.

"Maybe I can roll into the totem pole and shake the monkey off," Link said.

"It's worth a shot," Kai said.

Link then did a forward roll toward the totem pole. He rolled into it and knocked the cage off. The cage broke when it hit the ground. The two monkeys got together and jumped happily.

"I guess they know each other," Kai said.

The monkeys then ran back toward the main room. Kai, Toad, and Link followed them.

The monkeys led them toward the third and final door. This door led to a large room with two doors in it.

"Which way do we go?" Kai asked.

"Maybe we should flip a coin," Toad said.

Toad then took out a golden coin.

"Heads, we go in the left door," Toad continued. "Tails, we go in the right door."

Toad then flipped the coin. He caught it and looked at it.

"It's heads," Toad said. "Let's go through the left door."

Kai, Toad, and Link went through the left door. The monkeys stayed behind. When they entered, they found a monkey stuck behind a locked door. Kai, Toad, and Link ran up to the door.

"It's a magical lock," Toad said. "It will only open with a certain key. Not even an explosion will open this."

"Damn," Kai said. "I wanted to use my bomb-rocks."

They then looked toward the center of the room. A huge, plant-like thing was in there. It had a head with fangs. The head was connected to the base of the plant by a thick stem. The plant itself had a huge mouth as well.

"It looks dangerous," Kai said. "I bet that it has the key."

"What makes you say that?" Toad said.

"In every RPG game that I've every played, an important object is guarded by a huge monster," Kai answered.

"RPG?" Toad asked.

"I'll explain later," Kai said. "For now, we have to beat that thing."

Kai ran toward the plant, but the head began to bite toward him. Kai dodged this bite and jumped back.

"It won't be easy to get past that thing," Kai said. "Maybe I can try that new technique."

"New technique?" Toad asked.

Kai ignored this question. Instead, he focused the white energy into his blade. When the plant charged forward to bite him, Kai cut the head from the plant using the **Dragon Claw** that he learned from the skeletal warrior. The head dissolved within the energy. Toad and Link were surprised by what they saw.

"What the hell was that?!" Toad exclaimed.

"The golden wolf that I told you about changed into a skeleton swordsman and taught me that attack," Kai said. "It's called the **Dragon Claw**."

"Cool," Toad said. "Now, where's the key?"

They looked around and couldn't find a key. Kai looked toward the plant's base, which was still there.

"Maybe it's in that thing," Kai said. "I guess we'll have to kill it too."

"A good explosion should be enough," Link said.

Kai began to reach for his bag of bomb-rocks.

"You can save those for later," Link said. "I found something better."

Link walked toward the corner of the room. There was a strange, round thing with spider legs in the corner. Link slashed it, and its legs disappeared. The round thing began to flash. Link picked it up and threw it into the plant's mouth. The plant then exploded. A key was all that was left.

"Cool," Kai said. "What was that?"

"That was a spider-bomb," Link said. "If you attack it, it becomes a bomb."

"Cool!" Kai exclaimed. "It's like a huge bomb-rock with legs!"

"Let's just free that monkey," Toad said.

Link grabbed the key, unlocked the door, and set the monkey free. The monkey ran out of the room to join the others.

"How many monkeys are there?" Toad asked.

"Who knows?" Link replied. "We'll just have to free them all, I guess."

Kai, Link, and Toad then left the room. They headed into the other door. In this room was a large room. The monkey was in a locked door on the other side of the room. On their side was a totem pole with a chest on it. In the middle of the room was a small lake. There was a bridge that led across the lake. There were tiles all over the bridge and on the other side of the room.

"The key must be in the chest," Kai said.

Link then knocked the chest off of the totem pole like he did with the monkey cage. Kai opened the chest and found a key.

"That was easy," Kai said.

"Too easy," Toad said.

But Kai ignored this. Kai began to run across the bridge. When Kai stepped onto a tile, it sprang into the air and sent Kai flying backwards. Kai landed on his butt, right beside Toad and Link.

"That hurt," Kai whined.

"I knew it was too easy," Toad said. "We'll have to make sure not to step on a tile."

"How can we do that?" Kai asked. "There are tiles all over that bridge."

"We could always swim across," Toad suggested.

Kai had a stupid look on his face.

"I could've thought of that," Kai said.

"Why didn't you?" Toad asked tauntingly.

Kai was a bit angry with this, but it didn't matter. They had another monkey to free. They opened the door and freed the monkey. The monkey then joined the others.

"Where do we go next?" Kai asked the monkeys.

The first monkey led the way. All of the monkeys took them back into the first room. They then took Kai and his friends back into the outdoor area where they first saw the baboon. The bridge was still gone.

"I'm sorry, but there's no way we're getting across that canyon," Toad said. "That bridge is gone."

Then, one-by-one, the monkeys climbed onto a vine that hung over the place where the bridge used to be. They formed a monkey swing-bridge.

"That was convenient," Kai said. "Let's go!"

The monkeys then swung Kai and his friends across the canyon. Once they were across, the monkeys climbed onto the other side.

"Wait out here," Kai said. "We'll take care of that baboon."

Kai, Toad, and Link entered a door that was on this side. When they entered, they found themselves in a round room with eight totem poles in it. Several plant-like things with fangs hung on the ceiling. They looked much like the head of the earlier plant.

"Where's that stupid baboon?!" Kai shouted. "I'm going to kick its butt!"

With that, the baboon from earlier arrived into the room. It taunted Kai and his friends again. It then threw its boomerang and knocked down the heads. The heads then began to bite toward Kai and his friends.

"That's not fair!" Kai shouted. "He's having others fight for him!"

Kai and his friends dodged the plants.

"I'll distract them," Toad said. "You guys get that baboon!"

Toad then began to blast the plants with **Fira**, **Blizzara**, and **Thundara** spells. Meanwhile, Kai and Link chased the baboon as it jumped from totem pole to totem pole. It would occasionally stop to throw the boomerang at the plants that hung over the ceiling.

"This is getting annoying!" Kai shouted as he reached for his bomb-rock bag.

The baboon threw the boomerang one more time. Kai then threw the bomb-rock at the totem pole that the baboon was standing on. The baboon lost his balance. While trying to regain his balance, the boomerang came back and knocked the baboon off of the totem pole.

"This is it!" Kai shouted.

He charged forward. His sword began to glow with a white energy. He slashed the baboon's red butt with the **Dragon Claw** technique. The baboon bounced around, screeching in pain. Eventually, it fell over. The strange object on its head dissolved away.

"You really are overusing that **Dragon Claw** thing," Toad said. "What if you run out of magic?"

"I'm just practicing the attack now," Kai said. "It'll come in handy to perfect this technique just in case."

The baboon then got up. Kai, Toad, and Link got into fighting stances.

"If you want a rematch, prepare to lose again!" Kai shouted.

The baboon looked around. It scratched its head with confusion. It then dropped the boomerang and ran off.

"It looked like the baboon didn't know where he was," Toad said. "What's up with that?"

"I don't know," Kai said. "Check it out! He dropped his boomerang!"

Link ran up to the boomerang and picked it up. The boomerang glowed with a strange, blue light.

"I am the Fairy of Winds who resides in this boomerang," the a voice coming from the boomerang said. "You have freed me from evil, and I now have my true power back."

"A talking boomerang," Kai said. "Even for this world, that is just plain freaky."

"Please, take it with you, use it to aid your quest, and may both my power and my blessing go with you," the Fairy of Winds said. "If you focus power in your boomerang before releasing it, it will unleash the power of wind, aiding you in unforeseen ways."

The boomerang stopped glowing.

"How does the boomerang work?" Kai asked. "Do you just throw it, or do you have to do something first?"

"Kai, let me explain the properties of magical items," Toad said. "There are some items in the world, like that boomerang, that release their true power when magical energy is stored in them. This kind of item is hard to use, but the after-effect of a magical item can alter the situation in a fight. Do you understand?"

"You could've just said 'it's magic'," Kai said.

Midna then reappeared from Link's shadow.

"I bet even the monkeys should be satisfied now," Midna said. "Ok, let's continue combing this place. We already found something good, so let's keep searching places we haven't looked yet."

Midna disappeared into Link's shadow. Kai, Link, and Toad then called their monkey friends into the room. The monkeys led them through a second door in the room. It led outside. Kai looked forward and saw a moblin guarding something. Upon further examination, they saw that it was guarding a cage with a monkey in it.

"Another monkey?!" Toad exclaimed. "Just how many monkeys are there in this place?!"

But Kai had already charged forward, defeated the moblin, and freed the monkey from its cage.

"That was quick," Toad said.

"We've done this enough times already that it's second nature," Kai said.

Midna reappeared from Link's shadow.

"Well, I guess there are still some monkeys you haven't freed yet!" Midna shouted. "At this point, you should just save them all and see what you get for it!"

Midna disappeared into Link's shadow again as the monkey joined its friends.

"Why doesn't she just stay out here?" Toad asked.

"I don't think that she likes the sun," Link said. "Anyway, let's continue looking for monkeys."

Kai, Toad, Link, and the monkeys continued through the temple, unaware of what would happen to them in the next room.


	9. Chapter 9: Twilit Parasite Diababa

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 9: Twilit Parasite—Diababa**

The monkeys led Kai and his friends to a large room. Kai looked up and saw a high-up door. There was no way Kai, let alone anyone else, would be able to reach a door that high.

Kai looked straight ahead. He saw two more doors. They were guarded by two moblins.

"Those doors must have something behind them," Kai said. "Let's check them out."

"What about the monkeys?" Toad asked.

As Toad said this, the monkeys one-by-one gathered under a large tree. There was a small, green platform for each of the monkeys. There were two platforms left when all of the monkeys got on a platform.

"There must be two more monkeys in this temple," Link said. "Let's go through those doors."

"We'll first have to get past those moblins," Toad said.

"Leave that to me," Kai said.

Kai then quickly grabbed a couple of bomb-rocks and threw it before Toad could say anything. He then threw the rocks and blew the moblins to bits.

"Just how many bomb-rocks are you going to use today?" Toad asked.

"It all depends," Kai said. "You never know what's going to happen."

They walked through the door to the left. They entered a large room. On the other side of the room was a platform that led to the end of the room, but a boulder was blocking the platform. In the distance was a spider-bomb.

"Maybe we can use the spider-bomb on the boulder," Toad said.

"But it would blow up before we got close enough to hit the boulder," Link said. "There has to be another way."

They thought for a moment.

"What about the talking boomerang?" Kai asked.

"Do you mean the Gale Boomerang?" Link said. "It's worth a shot."

Link focused magical energy into the Gale Boomerang. He then threw it toward the spider-bomb. The boomerang turned into a tornado as it was thrown. The tornado grabbed the spider-bomb and came right back toward them. Once it reached them, however, the bomb exploded. Kai, Link, and Toad were blown backwards into the wall.

"Ow," Kai winced in pain. "What's next? Using one of us as a battering-ram?"

"Is there any other way to use the boomerang?" Toad asked.

"I'm not sure," Link said. "Maybe I can use magic to direct this thing."

Link then focused magical energy into the boomerang. He then focused an invisible path of magic toward the spider-bomb. The path then turned straight toward the boulder.

Link then threw the Gale Boomerang. It once again turned into a tornado as it was thrown. The tornado picked up the spider-bomb, but it did something different after it picked it up. Instead of going straight for Link, it turned toward the boulder and shot toward it. Once the spider-bomb reached the boulder, the boulder was blown to bits. The boomerang then came back to Link.

"That was cool!" Kai exclaimed.

After he said this, another monkey came out from where the boulder was. It then left the room and joined the others. Kai, Link, and Toad followed him out of the room. Once they were back in the room with the monkeys, they entered through the other door. Inside were more tiles, just like the one on the bridge from earlier.

"Not this again!" Kai groaned. "If we step on those tiles, we'll just be flung into the air!"

"What could be sending those tiles into the air?" Toad said. "Maybe there's something underneath them."

"I know how to check," Link said.

He then took out the Gale Boomerang and focused magical energy into it. Link then created an invisible, magical path that went through each of the tiles. He then threw the boomerang. When the tornado hit the tiles, two strange creatures appeared from under the tiles.

"Let's go!" Kai shouted.

Kai and Link then slashed at the strange creatures and destroyed them. The boomerang then came back to Link.

"That was easy," Kai said.

They continued through this room. They eventually reached another cage. A monkey was in this cage. Kai sliced it open and released the monkey. The monkey ran out of the room and joined all of its friends. Kai, Toad, and Link ran back into the room with the monkeys. They saw that all of the platforms had been filled.

"What happens now?" Kai asked.

The monkeys then climbed the tree. They then climbed down on each other and formed a swinging monkey-rope. After judging its size, Toad realized that the rope was long enough to swing them toward the unreachable door.

"I guess we now swing on the monkeys," Toad said.

The monkeys then grabbed Kai and swung back and forth until they could throw Kai toward the door. He landed right in front of the door. He then stood up. He watched as Link and Toad were both thrown toward the door. The monkeys then climbed back down onto their platforms. They waved at Kai and his friends.

"This must be the final room," Toad said. "Let's go!"

Kai, Link, and Toad then walked through the door. Once inside, they found a large room. High up to the left and right were two doors with a vine in between them. A large, purple-like liquid formed a small pond at the other end of the room. Toad took out his Chaos Detector.

"This thing says that there is a Chaos Emerald in here!" Toad shouted. "But I don't know where."

Then, two large plants rose out of the pond. They had heads like the earlier plants, but they were about five times as big. Their stems reached under the pond.

"What the hell are those things?!" Toad shouted.

Kai then walked toward the pond. The plants then charged forward to bite him, but Kai jumped out of reach. He then ran back toward Toad and Link.

"There's no way I'll be able to hit them, even with bomb-rocks," Kai said. "You should use your magic."

"I'll try," Toad said.

He then cast a **Fira** spell that shot toward one of the plants. Unfortunately, it fizzled out before it reached its target.

"Something about this room is blocking my spells," Toad said. "We'll have to find another way."

Link then saw a couple of spider-bombs on platforms behind the two plants.

"I think I have a plan," Link said.

Link then took out the Gale Boomerang. He then focused his magical energy into the boomerang and into a path from the spider-bomb toward one of the plants. He then threw the boomerang, which picked up the spider-bomb and pulled it toward the plant. The spider-bomb exploded when it hit the plant, and the plant sank into the pond.

"Just one left!" Link shouted.

Link then did the same thing with the other plant. Eventually, the second plant sank into the pond.

"That was easy," Link said.

"Too easy," Toad replied. "There must be something else in this pond."

Then, the two plants rose back up. Then, a third plant rose up out of the pond. Its head was twice the size of the other two and had an extremely thick stem. An eye was in the large plant. It then stared at Kai and his friends.

"The big plant must be the main plant," Toad said. "The other two are just stems that grow off of the first plant."

"So we have to kill the main one," Kai said. "Let's blow it up."

They looked around and couldn't find another spider-bomb.

"This isn't good," Kai said.

The main plant launched toward Kai and his friends. Luckily, they got out of the way.

"This isn't good!" Kai shouted. "This one can reach us!"

Suddenly, something appeared from one of the high up doors. It was the baboon from earlier. It was holding a spider-bomb in its arms. It then grabbed onto the vine and swung back and forth.

"I think that it wants to help us!" Kai shouted as he dodged the plant.

"Link, can you hit a moving target?!" Toad asked.

"It's worth a shot," Link said.

He then charged the boomerang as he ran. He threw it, and the tornado grabbed the spider-bomb and flew straight into the eye of the main plant. The main head then fell down. Its eye was revealed.

"This is it!" Kai shouted.

He then charged up the white, magical energy and slashed the eye off with the **Dragon Claw**. The plant's heads then flailed about in pain and died. The main head landed on dry land. It then dissolved into darkness.

"That was cool," Kai said. "What happens next?"

Then, a strange, black, mask-like thing appeared where the plant was. Right next to it was a yellow Chaos Emerald.

"Eee hee hee!" Midna laughed as she appeared from Link's shadow. "Well done! That's what I was looking for! That's a Fused Shadow. It's what the light spirit called dark power…

"Do you remember what that spirit said? About how you had to match the power of the king of shadows? Could it really be so easy? Is this all there is to it? Eee hee hee!

"There's a total of three Fused Shadows. I think the other light spirits have the rest…

"If you want to know exactly what Fused Shadows are…well, maybe I'll tell you if you find the other two.

"I guess you'd better do you best to find them, huh? Eee hee hee!"

Toad picked up the Chaos Emerald.

"That's two down and five to go!" Toad shouted happily. "Our adventure's just starting!"

"So let's not waste any more time here when we could be looking for the other two Fused Shadows," Midna continued. "I'll get you guys out of here."

Midna then focused a strange, black energy into the hand on her head. She then teleported them out of the temple.

They all ended up at Faron's spring. Faron's spirit appeared above the spring. Toad jumped back at this because he had yet to see a spirit.

"Great heroes," Faron began. "Do not thing that the world is now saved from the spread of twilight. Leave these woods and go to the west, where you will find the land protected by the spirit Eldin. The dark power that you seek is there.

"Mushroom man and Swordsman of light, the gem that you seek is in a different land. You must seek the rest of the emeralds if you are to protect the rest of the world from darkness…

"But know that these lands lie in twilight…they are now a dark realm covered by the clouds of dusk.

"If either of you sets foot beyond the curtains of twilight, you will revert to your beast forms, so be prepared."

The spirit then disappeared.

"Beast forms?" Toad asked Kai.

"I'll explain later," Kai replied.

Midna appeared from Link's shadow.

"That's better," Midna said. "Searching should be much easier now. Eee hee!

"But…of course, you feel the need to go help the other light spirits, don't you?"

She then turned to Kai.

"And you two want to seek these Chaos Emeralds, right?" Midna continued. "Then this is where we part ways. Maybe we'll meet up again. Who knows? Eee hee!"

Midna disappeared into Link's shadow.

"I guess this is where we say good-bye," Kai said.

"For now, anyway," Link said. "Seeing how both of our journeys are connected by a common enemy, I'm betting that we'll meet up again soon."

"Right," Kai said. "See ya, Link."

Kai and Toad then left the woods and headed toward their ship. Link headed toward Hyrule Field.

A few hours later, the S.S. Mushroom was out at sea once again.

"Where do we go next?" Kai asked as he watched the ocean.

"Our next stop is within sailing distance, so we won't need to fly," Toad said. "The best part is that we've been to the place before. We're heading for Magica Island!"

"Sweet!" Kai shouted. "I'll get to see Hazel again! Let's hurry and get there soon!"

So Toad sailed the S.S. Mushroom toward Magica Island, where the next Chaos Emerald would be.


	10. Chapter 10: Kai's Magic Training

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 10: Kai's Magic Training**

After a couple of days' worth of sailing, Kai and Toad reached their destination. Toad was watching the Chaos Radar as they got closer and closer to the next Chaos Emerald.

"We're about to dock," Toad said. "Once we get off of the ship, we should head for Hazel's mansion. Since her family is the richest one on the island, she might have some idea where a large emerald is."

"Alright!" Kai happily shouted. "Let's go!"

An hour later, Kai and Toad finally reached Hazel's mansion. There were two new goons standing in front of the front door. They were huge and muscular. Kai and Toad walked up to them.

"Who are you?" one of them said.

"I'm Kai Kamai," Kai said. "I'm here to see my friend, Hazel."

"No one gets in if they're not on the list," the other guy said.

"List?" Kai asked. "What list?"

"This one!" the first one said as he shoved a clipboard in Kai's face.

"We have to have an appointment to see a friend?!" Toad exclaimed. "That's just plain bogus!"

"We don't make the rules, we just follow them," the second one said.

"Tell Hazel that Kai's here," Kai said. "She'll let me in!"

"We can't let you in!" the first one shouted.

"Try to stop us," Toad said. "We have important, world-saving business to do in there, and you two, muscle-brained idiots won't stop us!"

Inside, Hazel's older sister, Marina, was walking around her house when she heard pounding from outside. She ran over to the nearby window and saw Kai and Toad being pounded to pulps.

"No way," Marina said.

She then ran to the front door and opened it.

"Stop it right now!" Marina shouted. "These two are my guests."

"Yes, Mistress Marina," said the first goon as he stopped kicking Kai in the stomach.

Kai and Toad then got up and the two goons walked off.

"Yeah!" Toad shouted at them. "You better run! I was just getting started!"

"I can't believe that you're here!" Marina exclaimed. "Hazel will be so happy when she gets back."

"So she isn't here right now," Kai said. "Oh well."

"You guys can come inside and wait until she gets back," Marina said. "My youngest sister, Amy, is preparing tea."

Kai and Toad followed Marina as she led them inside. A few minutes later, Kai, Toad, Amy and Marina enjoyed some tea. Amy, who was a little bit taller than the last time Kai and Toad saw her, was pouring the tea for them.

"So you guys are looking for a Chaos Emerald," Marina said.

"That's right," Toad said. "We were hoping that you guys would know about it."

"You know that Hazel's the bookworm in the family," Marina said. "She'll know about anything that exists. She and my brother should be home soon."

"Where is Hazel anyway?" Toad asked.

"She'll either be at the library or at the arena, sparring with Almond," Amy answered.

"Arena?" Kai asked.

"There's an arena in the middle of town," Amy said. "Almond and Hazel spend time over there to do some training. Hazel's gotten much stronger since you guys left."

"But she only uses one offensive spell," Toad said. "And she only uses it as a last resort. **Holy** takes too much magical energy to use over and over."

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening was heard from below.

"Hazel and Almond must be home," Marina said. "Let's wait up here for them. I want to see the look on Hazel's face."

The door to the room they were in opened after a few minutes. Two people were standing there. One was Almond, who was wearing a standard Red Mage's outfit. The other was Hazel. She wore a long, white dress and white shoes. She still had her hammer with her, but it looked like it had been used a lot recently.

When Hazel stepped into the room, her and Kai's eyes met. A wide smile appeared on her face.

"Kai!" Hazel shouted happily as she ran up to hug him.

Kai was surprised by this hug, but it didn't matter. This was a happy occasion.

"I can't believe it!" Hazel exclaimed. "You're back!"

"It's good to see you too," Kai said. "You look great."

"And you got taller," Hazel said. "Last time I saw you, you were just about my height. Now, you have to be a half-a-head taller than me."

"Are you guys forgetting that I'm here too," Toad asked.

Hazel then saw Toad.

"Hi, Toad!" Hazel exclaimed. "I didn't see you there."

"I think you were too busy hugging Kai," Toad said. "Why are you still holding him?"

Hazel's face turned bright red. She let Kai go and then sat down in a chair right in front of Kai and Toad.

"You guys should tell me about what you've been doing," Hazel said.

Kai and Toad talked to Hazel about what had happened ever since Kai came back to the magical world. They told Hazel everything about the Chaos Emeralds. Almond, Marina, and Amy listened to this conversation.

"I've read about the Chaos Emeralds," Hazel said. "But the book I read about them said that they were a myth. Are they really true?"

"Take a look for yourself," Toad said as he reached for his backpack.

He pulled out the Chaos Emeralds.

"So those are Chaos Emeralds," Almond said. "Amazing."

"Hazel, do you have any idea where the next Chaos Emerald is?" Kai asked.

"I don't know," Hazel said. "I wish I could be of more help. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Kai said. "I just wish that the Chaos Radar was more descriptive about the location of the Chaos Emeralds."

"I think I've seen one before!" Amy shouted.

"What?!" everyone else exclaimed.

"They're giving it away as a prize for the Magical Tourney," Amy said. "I found it by the beach and turned it in to the prize-committee. I didn't know that it was a Chaos Emerald."

"So it will be a prize in the tournament," Almond said. "We're in luck. The tournament starts in just a few days. We can win the Emerald as a prize."

"Can't you just buy it from them?" Toad asked.

"It's not that simple," Marina said. "Anything that is given away to the prize-committee cannot be bought. It has to be won."

"So what is the Magical Tourney?" Kai asked.

"It's a fighting tournament," Almond said. "The best fighters get together to celebrate the power of magic. I've been the champion of the tournament for a few years now."

"It should be a breeze then," Kai said. "Fighting a few guys will be simple. Toad and I just polished off a robot and a giant plant-thing."

"And I held my own against Kai when he turned into a wolf," Toad said. "Which I'm still sorry for."

"Turned into a what?!" Hazel asked.

"I'll explain later," Kai said. "It's a really long story. It took a half-an-hour to explain it to Toad."

"Anyway, we should probably start training for the tournament," Almond said. "I'll spar with Kai at the arena. Hazel, you and Toad should go to Magica Tower and try to climb to the top again. The traps have improved since the last time you guys went up there."

"Alright," Hazel said. "Let's begin."

The four of them left the room. Someone or something was watching Kai from the trees as he and Almond headed for the arena.

Thirty minutes later, Kai and Almond had prepared the arena for their training session.

"I'm going to train you in casting spells," Almond said.

"I already know about magic," Kai said. "In fact, I use it most of the time."

"That's true, but you only use Spell-Blades, right?" Almond said.

"I guess," Kai answered.

"What I'm going to teach you are actual spells," Almond said. "Spells like what Black Mages and White Mages are capable of using. Of course, I can't teach you to use their most powerful spells. I can't even cast the most powerful spells. But I can teach you basic spells like **Thunder** and **Cure**."

"Is that really possible?" Kai asked.

"Yep," Almond answered. "Every human being has magical energy within them. Though, everyone uses it differently. Black Mages and White Mages use magic to its full potential and can cast powerful spells. Ninja transform magical energy into a form known as Chakra, in order to use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Finally, most swordsmen use magic to give power to their blades, like what you tend to do.

"But there are swordsmen who tend to cross the normal barrier of magic. They can use magic like Black Mages and White mages, even if the spells are weaker. These swordsmen are known as Red Mages, which is what I am.

"I can teach you how to use magic in this way. Not only will you be an expert at close-up combat, but you'll be able to attack from afar. With this ability, a whole world of battle techniques will open up to you."

"Wow!" Kai exclaimed. "Let's start this training!"

"Alright," Almond said. "First, you must focus your magical energy into your blade, like you usually do."

Kai then drew his sword and held it out. Magical energy began to surround his blade.

"For Spell-Blade techniques, you focus and maintain the energy into a sword until the energy becomes a more powerful blade," Almond said. "For regular magic, you must focus the energy into your sword and then concentrate the energy into the tip of your sword. This is much harder then it sounds.

"Once you focus the energy into the tip of the blade, you must maintain it like you normally do. Then you must transform this energy into a spell, just like you do with Spell-Blade techniques. Then you blast the energy from the tip of the blade toward your target. Do you understand?"

"Yep," Kai answered.

"Alright, I'll find you a target," Almond said.

Almond looked around and found a large pot.

"Perfect," Almond said. "You must use a spell to destroy that pot."

"Is that all?" Kai asked. "That will be easy."

Kai began to focus his magic into the tip of his blade. Unfortunately, he could only get it near the tip of his blade. The magic began to glow red.

"**Fire**!" Kai shouted as he shot the spell toward the pot.

A small fireball shot from Kai's blade. It hit the pot, but didn't leave a mark.

"What?!" Kai exclaimed. "I didn't make a scratch!"

"Exactly," Almond said. "That pot was made for potions. It's made out of Magia, a rare metal that is a must-have for spell-users. To destroy that pot, you'll need a perfect spell. You won't even leave a mark until you create a good spell."

"Alright," Kai said. "Just you watch, I'll destroy that pot before sun-set."

Kai spent the whole day training to break the pot. Every attempt at creating a perfect spell failed. At the end of the day, however, he managed to crack the pot.

"Amazing," Almond said. "Still not perfect, but you managed to crack the pot. I bet that you'll break that pot in time for the tournament."

"Alright!" Kai happily shouted.

But right after he shouted this, he felt a sudden sense of danger.

"MOVE!!!" Kai shouted.

Almond didn't know what was going on, but he ducked out of reflex. This was smart because a green flash shot right over Almond. It hit the pot and completely destroyed it.

Almond and Kai looked up at where the flash went. In its place was a strange man. He was tall and wore a black jumpsuit. On the top part of the jumpsuit were yellow buttons. There was a brown belt across his waist. He wore black boots and grey gloves. He wore a green hat with a reversed "L" written on it. He wore a green bandana around his neck and had a black mask on. He had a brown mustache and brown hair. He also had a sheathed sword on his waist.

"Who are you?" Kai asked.

"I am the most powerful servant in Lord Zant's arsenal," the man said. "I have a power that everyone envies. I am the Green Thunder, the incredible Mr. L!"

He held out his right arm as he said his name. Almond looked confused, but Kai looked at this man seriously.

"Alright, two questions," Kai said. "One, what's with the weird outfit? Secondly, who's this Zant guy? Is the he King of Twilight?"

"I do not feel that I must answer that question," Mr. L said. "I was given orders to kill you and steal the Chaos Emeralds. If you hand over the emeralds now, I'll make your death quick and painless."

"Like that will ever happen," Kai said. "By the sound of things, this Zant guy wants to take over the world. No deal. I'm keeping the emeralds."

"Fine then," Mr. L said.

He then drew his sword. On the blade were the words "Poltergust Blade". He swung his blade and a purple gust of wind shot toward Kai and Almond. Kai and Almond dodged this blast. The wind destroyed every training-tool that was behind them.

"If we get hit by that, we're done for!" Kai shouted.

Kai drew his sword. He tried to focus magical energy into it, but nothing happened.

"Kai, you're too drained of magic to fight," Almond said. "Let me handle this fight."

Almond then drew his sword. The blade of his sword was a shining silver.

"I will defeat you, Mr. L," Almond said.

The tip of Almond's sword glowed with a blue light. He then cast a **Blizzard** spell toward Mr. L. Mr. L dodged this attack and charged for him. Their swords clashed with each other. Eventually, they both jumped back. Mr. L launched the purple gust of wind and Almond used a **Blizzard** spell. The attacks clashed and created an explosion. A cloud of smoke, which came from the explosion, covered the whole arena. When the smoke cleared, Mr. L was nowhere to be seen. Almond turned around and saw Mr. L right behind him. Mr. L then slashed Almond in the back and on his right arm. Almond screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"Almond!" Kai shouted.

"That's what happens when you get in my way," Mr. L said. "Now for you."

Kai's eyes became full of hatred. His teeth were clenched together. Mr. L saw this look in his eyes.

Mr. L remembered when he gained his orders from his master. They were in a dark castle. His master was hidden within the shadows.

"Watch out for the Light Swordsman's power," Zant said from within the shadows. "I was told of his power by a very reliable source. If you see hatred in his eyes, you must be at full strength when you fight him. Otherwise, you will be destroyed."

"I understand," Mr. L said.

The flashback ended. Mr. L jumped onto the wall.

"I will let you live for now," Mr. L said. "But I expect you to be at the tournament that happens in three days. I will be waiting for you."

Mr. L then disappeared. Kai could only watch as Mr. L disappeared into the sunset. Kai then turned to Almond. He put Almond onto his shoulder.

"I'll get you back to Hazel," Kai said. "She'll heal you in no time."

"Alright," Almond said.

Kai then carried Almond back to the mansion. The whole time, Kai could only think of Mr. L. Who was he? How was he so strong? Kai only knew one thing: he must defeat Mr. L at whatever cost.


	11. Chapter 11: The Results of the Training

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 11: The Results of the Training**

The following morning, Hazel was treating Almond. He had a cast on his left leg and on his right arm. Hazel finished casting a healing spell and Almond woke up.

"I'm glad you're alright, brother," Hazel said. "I did the best that I could, but you were to badly damaged. Your left leg and right arm are still broken."

"That doesn't matter," Almond said. "Kai still needs to train and I'm going to be there."

"No you aren't!" Hazel shouted. "You won't be able to walk around the house, let alone train!"

"But I have to help Kai beat Mr. L," Almond said. "If I'm not there, who will be?"

"Toad agreed to help train Kai," Hazel said. "Meanwhile, I'll stay here and heal you."

"Alright," Almond said. "I'll just heal up enough to go see the tournament."

"If you stay here and rest, you'll be healed enough to **walk** to the tournament," Hazel said. "But no fighting!"

"Alright," Almond said.

Meanwhile, Kai was continuing to blast the pot. He cracked the pot, but he couldn't break it.

"You're still having trouble focusing your magic," Toad said. "Maybe it'll be easier if you try casting magic with your hands."

"Huh?" Kai asked.

"Some people have trouble casting spells with weapons," Toad said. "But they also can become experts at spells by using their hands. And I know how to help. Come over here."

Kai walked over to Toad.

"Hold out your right hand," Toad said.

Kai held out his right hand. Toad then took out a black marker and put a small, black mark in the center of his palm.

"What's this?" Kai asked.

"Just like with spells using weapons, you must focus magic in a certain spot on your hands," Toad said. "Now, look at this."

Toad took out a blank piece of paper.

"Ok," Kai said.

"Now take a look at this," Toad said.

Toad took out a second piece of paper. Kai noticed a small, black dot on the paper.

"I bet that you noticed the dot first, right?" Toad asked.

"Yeah," Kai said.

"The first time, you didn't focus anywhere on the blank paper," Toad said. "Without something to focus on, the mind can easily lose focus. But when you have something to focus on, concentration is second nature. Give it a shot. Try focusing your magic on that dot."

Kai then put away his sword. He then focused his magical energy in his palm. The energy spiraled into the dot. Kai pointed his palm toward the pot.

"**FIRE**!" Kai shouted.

A huge stream of fire burst from Kai's palm. The fire shot right through the pot and burnt it to ashes. Toad's eyes were wide with shock.

"That was easily as strong as a **Fira** spell!" Toad shouted. "Of course, your spells won't be that strong when you're splitting your concentration between the spell and your opponent. But I'm sure that you'll definitely be able to cast spells!"

"Sweet!" Kai shouted. "How did you know about the dot trick?"

"While you were gone, I wasn't just goofing off," Toad said. "Mario was teaching me all sorts of tricks to cast magic. He's an expert mage himself."

"Cool!" Kai exclaimed. "Let's continue training! I need to do this a few more times!"

Kai and Toad spent the rest of the day casting spells. That night, Toad was carrying Kai to the mansion. He was exhausted from spell casting. Hazel ran over to them.

"Is he alright?" Hazel asked.

"He's just drained," Toad answered. "He cast at least five times as many spells as I can."

"Amazing," Hazel said. "That would explain what Almond said…"

A flashback began. Hazel was bringing Almond his lunch.

"You won't believe how strong your friend is," Almond said.

"I'm pretty sure that I can," Hazel said.

"Even though he can't focus easily, he still lasted the whole day without falling over," Almond said. "He has magical energy inside of him that could rival the Avians."

"I've heard of them," Hazel said. "Avians were winged beings who could fly no matter where they were. They used their infinite source magical energy to fly at speeds that break the sound barrier. By what I could get from the Goddess's story, Kai is part Avian."

"That would definitely explain things," Almond said. "I thought that he was too strong to be only human…"

The flashback ended.

"I remember!" Toad exclaimed. "That was a while ago. I wonder if Kai can fly? Anyway, that's not important right now. Let's let Kai rest tomorrow. The tournament starts in two days."

"Right," Hazel said. "Who knows what could happen?"

Eventually, the day of the tournament arrived. All three of Hazel's siblings found seats in the arena. Kai, Toad, and Hazel were at the sign-ups.

"Why are you entering, Hazel?" Kai asked. "Your spells are all defense, aren't they?"

"Not exactly," Hazel said. "Just watch me when my round comes up."

"Alright," Kai said. "Let's just find out who our opponents will be."

After signing up, the tournament referee had them draw numbers. There were 16 finalists after the preliminary rounds. The following people were the following numbers: Kai was number 6, Toad was number 16, Hazel was number 1, Mr. L was number 14, and the other spots were filled with unknown fighters.

"It looks like I won't be fighting until the final match," Toad said. "And Hazel, you're first! Wow!"

"I know!" Hazel exclaimed. "I'll get to show you guys how much stronger I am."

"So you're my first victim," a deep voice said.

Hazel turned around. A huge, muscular man in strange armor was standing there. He was a head taller than Kai.

"Even if you're a girl, I'll crush you," the man said.

"And even if you're an idiot, I'll won't go easy on you," Hazel replied.

The muscular man growled in anger.

"You just wait until this fight begins!" the man shouted. "You'll be as flat as a pancake!"

The man stomped away.

"What I'm worried about is how you've got to fight Mr. L in the second round," Kai said to Toad. "He's strong, Toad."

"I know," Toad said. "I'll just give it my best shot."

Kai, Toad, and Hazel walked into the arena. Mr. L walked up to Kai.

"You better make it to the finals, Kai," Mr. L said. "I want to beat you myself."

Kai glared at him. Mr. L walked further ahead.

"I can't let him win," Kai said.

"Don't worry," Toad said. "I'll beat him before he reaches you. We can battle in the finals."

"Good luck with that," Kai said. "Hazel, good luck in the first round."

"Thanks," Hazel said. "You'll watch from the waiting room, right?"

"Of course," Toad said. "Show us the results of your training."

"Hazel and Gargantuan, come into the arena," the referee said. "Hazel and Gargantuan."

"Alright," Hazel said. "It's about to begin!"

Hazel ran out into the arena. She met Gargantuan in the center of the arena.

"I'm about to crush your cocky little head!" Gargantuan shouted.

"Bring it on," Hazel said.

"Fighters, begin when you hear the Xatu!" the referee said.

Above the arena, three Natu were standing on top of a Xatu. One-by-one, the Natu's spread out their wings and squeaked. Then, the Xatu shouted.

Gargantuan began to smash down on Hazel. Hazel dodged each of his blows. She then struck him with her hammer. The hammer didn't leave a mark on his armor.

"You're puny spells and hammer can't penetrate my defenses!" Gargantuan boasted. "I'll now crush you!"

Gargantuan continued to smash down on Hazel. Each smash left a crack in the rock floor. Hazel continued to dodge the attacks over and over.

"How's Hazel going to win?" Amy asked from the crowds.

"Don't worry," Almond answered. "Hazel is a tactical genius. She can find a break in any defense."

Eventually, the whole arena floor was covered in cracks. Gargantuan smashed down one more time. His hand smashed through a crack. It then got stuck in the ground.

"I can't move!" Gargantuan shouted.

He tried to stomp back to pull his hand out of the ground. His feet got stuck in a couple more cracks.

"Surprise," Hazel said. "You were so busy trying to hit me, you didn't notice the cracks in the floor. Because you are so heavy, your body broke through the earth and got stuck. Now you're wide open for an attack."

"Whoa!" Kai shouted. "When did Hazel get this good?!"

"Ha!" Gargantuan shouted. "Even if I'm stuck, you still can't pierce my armor!"

"Think again," Hazel said. "Check this spell out."

Hazel held out her palm. White energy began to spin in her hand. It formed a ball.

"What kind of spell is that?" Amy asked her brother.

"If you look, you'll notice that it's an **Aero** spell," Almond said.

"But it's spinning," Amy continued.

"Just watch," Almond finished.

Everyone watched closely as the ball of energy spun faster and faster in Hazel's hand. Eventually, the white ball began to glow.

"This is it!" Hazel shouted.

She rushed forward. She then pushed the spell into Gargantuan. It hit his armor and crushed it. The crushed pieces began to spin around her spell.

"**GYRO SPHERE**!" Hazel shouted.

Gargantuan was forced out of the ground. He spun faster and faster in the air as the orb continued to spin. Eventually, he flew straight into a wall. His skin had a large, disc-shaped burn in it. He had passed out from the pain.

"What the heck?!" Kai shouted.

"That looked like an **Aero** spell," Toad said.

"What's that?" Kai said.

"It's one of the few offensive spells that a White Mage has," Toad said. "It's a wind-element spell. But I've never seen one take the shape of a ball."

Hazel walked back toward Kai and Toad.

"That's what I've been practicing for the past two years," Hazel said.

"How did you learn that?" Toad asked.

"Do you remember the ninja scrolls we picked up in the Hidden Leaf Village?" Hazel asked.

"Yep," Toad said. "Why?"

"I found something interesting in it," Hazel said. "It's called the **Rasengan**. It was developed by the Fourth Hokage. Basically, the user forms their chakra into a spinning orb. After reading about it, I thought that I could create a spell similar to it.

"So I began to practice casting the **Aero** spell. After a few weeks of practice, I began to put it to use. I spun the spell in several directions at once, so the spells would bounce off of each other and form a spinning orb. Once it is formed, the spell doesn't disappear until I use it. Unfortunately, the spell costs too much energy to use more than once per battle. Plus, it takes a couple a minute to charge."

"Awesome!" Kai shouted.

"Now you guys better get through the first round," Hazel said.

"Alright," Kai said.

Kai and Toad breezed through their fights. Unfortunately, so did Mr. L.

"It looks like you'll be up against Mr. L," Kai said.

"I guess so," Toad replied.

"Remember Toad, this guy isn't a pushover," Kai said.

"I'll just give it my best," Toad said. "You just worry about your fights."

Kai and Hazel beat their opponents and moved on to the semi-finals. Soon, it was Toad's turn.

"This is my chance," Toad thought. "I'll be the hero this time."

Toad entered the arena with Mr. L.

"I'm after the swordsman," Mr. L said. "But I guess I can use you for a warm-up."

"I may look weak, but my magic is as strong as it gets," Toad said.

"The battle starts when you hear the Xatu!" the referee shouted.

Soon, the Xatu's voice echoed throughout the arena. Mr. L was off like a rocket. He knocked Toad back into a wall. He then rushed forward to strike him. Toad knocked him back with a **Fira** spell. He stood up and saw Toad charging another spell. Toad then threw a **Firaga** spell. Mr. L barely dodged this one.

"I'll admit that you're better than the Red Mage," Mr. L said. "But that doesn't mean you can beat me."

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," Toad said. "You haven't seen what I can really do yet."

Toad then charged a spell in each of his hands. One was red and the other was blue.

"**Fire**/**Blizzard** combo: **Hidden Mist**!" Toad shouted.

He slammed the two spells together. A thick mist covered the arena. Nothing could be seen.

"You fool," Mr. L said. "I'll just blow away this mist."

Mr. L then swung his blade. A purple gust of wind blew the mist away. When the mist cleared, Toad was standing at the other side of the arena. He was charging a light-blue spell in his hands.

"It can't be!" Almond exclaimed.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"That's the most powerful spell that any mage can learn," Almond continued. "It's extremely difficult to master, but it can basically obliterate anything if used correctly.

Mr. L charged forward. Toad continued to charge his spell. Soon, the spell was complete. Mr. L noticed this.

"**Ultima**!" Toad shouted as he threw the spell toward Mr. L. This spell was too big to dodge. Mr. L instead held out his sword in a guard position. The spell then hit. A large, light-blue explosion covered the entire arena. A large light shone throughout the sky.

When the light faded, everyone looked down to see what had happened. Toad was standing a few feet back from where he was when he cast the spell. The force of the spell had forced Toad backwards. Toad looked forward and his eyes widened. Mr. L was still standing. He sword was in front of him. A small vortex was surrounding him.

"How is it possible?!" Toad thought. "Nothing can block the sheer power of the **Ultima** spell!"

Mr. L then slowly walked up to him. Toad was too exhausted to move, but he could clearly see what was happening. Mr. L grabbed him by his shirt and threw him against the wall over and over. Toad could do nothing but take these beatings. Kai could feel nothing but disgust and anger as he saw Mr. L mercilessly slam Toad against the wall over and over. Blood splattered on the arena floor. Mr. L then dropped him.

"TOAD!!!" Hazel shouted.

"The match is over!" the referee shouted. "The merciless Mr. L is the winner!"

Hazel then ran out into the arena. She began to cast a **Curaga** spell on Toad. Toad's wounds began to heal. Kai then ran out. He and Hazel then picked up Toad and carried him out of the arena. Toad's eyes slowly began to open.

"I'm…sorry…Kai," Toad said. "I…got reckless."

"It's ok," Kai said. "You gave it your best shot."

"Good," Toad said. "I wanted…to hear that. Right now, I need to sleep."

Toad's eyes closed again. He began to rest after his harsh battle.

Mr. L began to laugh evilly.

"Nobody can defeat me!" Mr. L shouted. "I am the invincible Mr. L!"

Kai had realized that only he had a chance against Mr. L. He must defeat Mr. L before any one could be hurt.


	12. Chapter 12: Clash of Blades

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 12: Clash of Blades**

Kai and Hazel had carried Toad to the arena's hospital. Hazel was curing Toad with her magic.

"He's fine, but he'll need his rest," Hazel said. "But I'll have to stay here to make sure he doesn't get any worse, so I'll have to skip our match. Just tell them that I forfeited."

"That's alright," Kai said. "I'll get that Mr. L guy for this."

"Just be careful, Kai," Hazel said.

"I will," Kai said. "My fight should start soon. I'll take down that Mr. L no matter what it takes!"

Kai then walked to the referee and told him about where Hazel was.

"Attention everyone!" the referee said through a microphone. "Hazel has forfeited the match in order to take care of a friend, so, by default, Kai wins! So we'll skip to the next match!"

Kai then watched as Mr. L crushed his next opponent, just as he did with Toad. By the time the match was over, Mr. L's opponent had both of his arms and his left leg broken.

"The ruthless Mr. L has just defeated another opponent!" the referee shouted. "Now we shall take a three hour break to give our fighters a rest! The final match will be between Kai Kamai and the mysterious Mr. L!"

The audience began to leave the stands in order to get something to eat. Hazel's siblings went to the hospital wing in order to see how Toad was. Kai decided to get everyone something to eat. He brought several burgers to his friends.

"Are you ready for your match?" Almond asked.

"Of course," Kai said. "I'll take down Mr. L for what he did!"

A few hours later, everyone had gathered in the audience to watch the final round. Kai stepped out into the arena. He then watched as Mr. L stepped out as well.

"It's time for the final match of the tournament!" the referee shouted. "This match is between the heroic Kai Kamai and the mysterious Mr. L! Fighters, when you hear the Xatu, you can begin!"

Kai's and Mr. L's eyes met. They glared at each other as they waited for their fight to begin.

"Natu!"

The whole crowd watched in anticipation. The energy emitting from these two fighters was overwhelming.

"Natu!"

Hazel and Toad watched from a TV in the hospital room. Toad's hospital food remained uneaten. He just couldn't eat thinking about how tough Mr. L was.

"Natu!"

Mr. L could feel Kai's magical power growing, but he was no longer afraid. He was at full strength.

"XATU!!!"

Kai and Mr. L rushed toward each other. Sparks flew from their blades as they tried to slash each other. The clangs from the swords hitting each other could be heard from the very back of the audience.

Kai eventually jumped back. He put his sword in his left hand. He then charged magical energy in his right hand. He cast a **Fire** spell, which Mr. L blocked with a gust of wind. Mr. L then slashed horizontally. A blade of sharp wind formed where Mr. L slashed. The wind shot straight for Kai. Kai barely got the sword back in his right hand in time to block the wind. As Kai blocked this attack, Mr. L ran up behind him and attacked. Kai was forced toward the opposite wall by Mr. L's attack.

Kai caught himself right before he hit the wall. He then turned around and rushed toward Mr. L. Mr. L attempted to hit Kai with gusts of blade-like wind. Kai managed to dodge these attacks, but Mr. L charged a large blast as Kai dodged his gusts. Mr. L then blasted Kai back toward the opposite wall.

"Kai's not doing well," Amy said to her brother.

"I can tell," Almond replied. "I just wish that we could've gotten some more training in."

Kai kept getting blown back into the wall as he tried to attack. Eventually, he couldn't stop himself from crashing into the wall. He was running low on energy.

Eventually, Kai hit the wall thirty times. Mr. L just watched as Kai slowly got up.

"What allows you to keep going?!" Mr. L shouted. "No human should be able to take this much abuse. If you continue much longer, your body will break from the strain."

"I'm afraid that he's right," Hazel thought as she watched Kai's fight. "I know that Kai's tough, but he's still human. All of his bones will burst if he continues much longer. Kai, it isn't worth killing yourself to keep fighting."

But Kai kept going. It didn't matter how much abuse he took. Kai just kept on getting up to fight. Mr. L was running low on magic power.

"How can he do this?" Mr. L thought. "How can he continue on?! I guess I'll just have to finish him!"

Mr. L began to charge a final blast. His sword glowed with a strange light. He continued to charge this attack. Kai could only watch as this happened. He didn't have enough energy to reach Mr. L.

"THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS!!!" Mr. L shouted as he swung his blade.

A large tornado formed where Mr. L slashed the air. The tornado began to rush toward Kai. When it hit, Kai's screams of pain could be heard all throughout the stadium.

Hazel couldn't watch this torture. She hid her eyes from the horrid sight.

Kai fell to the ground. He seemed to be dead.

"It's over!" Mr. L shouted. "I win! Call it, referee!"

"Well," the referee said. "I guess a 10-count is in order. 1…2…3…4…"

"It doesn't matter," Mr. L said. "He's dead."

"…7…8…9…huh?" the referee finished.

Mr. L turned around and saw Kai get up. His whole body was covered in blood and bruises. He was breathing heavily.

"Impossible!" Mr. L shouted. "That last blast was too strong for any human to survive! What are you?!"

Kai's magical energy rose higher and higher. Everyone watched in surprise.

"Hazel, look at this!" Toad exclaimed.

"Is it over?" Hazel asked through her hands.

"Just watch!" Toad shouted.

Hazel lifted her head. A smile rose on her face. Kai was still standing. In fact, his magical energy was higher than ever.

"I still have enough magic power for another spell," Mr. L said. "I'll just finish you off."

Mr. L began to charge another spell. Kai's energy eventually filled the entire stadium. The energy then was concentrated into a visible form on his back. The magical energy took the shape of wings. These wings were a beautiful snowy white.

"This is strange, folks!" the referee shouted. "It seems that Kai has grown wings!"

"That's strange," Toad said. "Kai's never had wings before, has he?"

"I don't know," Hazel replied. "What a minute!"

A flashback began. It was during the battle with the Lord of Darkness. Kai was plummeting toward the ground.

"I WILL NOT DIE LIKE THIS!!!" Kai shouted.

His energy rose to its peak and shaped itself into a pair of wings. The flashback ended.

"Kai did have wings before!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Really?" Toad asked. "When?"

As Hazel explained the flashback, Kai's fight with Mr. L continued. Kai began to rush toward Mr. L. He was moving so fast, it seemed like he was flying. Almost a second later, Kai disappeared. Mr. L's eyes widened with fear as Kai vanished. Kai reappeared behind Mr. L. He then slashed him toward the wall. Mr. L's spell faded.

Kai then appeared right behind Mr. L. He slashed Mr. L toward the other side. He then repeated this action. The audience tried to see how Kai was doing this.

"Does Kai have the ability to teleport?" Amy asked.

"I don't think that he's teleporting," Almond answered. "I think that he's just moving extremely fast."

"Can we get an instant replay on this?" the referee asked. "Also, play it in slow-motion."

A large TV screen showed Mr. L flying backwards in slow motion. Kai was seen rushing across the screen, as if he was moving at normal speed.

"Whoa!" Toad exclaimed as he watched the fight. "In all of the time I've known Kai, he's never moved this fast! What's going on?"

After about twenty slashes, Kai slammed Mr. L against a wall.

"Time to finish this!" Kai shouted.

His sword glowed with a green and light-blue light. He began to slash down at Mr. L. Mr. L saw this and raised his own blade to block the attack. When the blades hit, a large explosion of light rose from the point of impact and covered the entire stadium.

When the light faded, Mr. L and Kai were both standing there. Neither of them was moving. Kai's wings had disappeared from sight.

"Mr. L!" a voice shouted into Mr. L's head. "Get out of there now! If you stay, you'll die!"

"Yes, Lord Zant," Mr. L thought.

A purple tornado began to form around Mr. L.

"You win this time, swordsman," Mr. L said. "Next time we meet, you will die. See you L-ater!"

Mr. L then disappeared.

"Well, it looks like Mr. L forfeited the match!" the referee shouted. "So Kai wins the match!"

The crowd roared with excitement. Hazel and Toad were cheering from the hospital room. One second later, Kai collapsed. Almond, Amy, and Marina ran down into the coliseum to help Kai. On the way to Kai, Almond told the referee that he'd give Kai the trophy and the prize. The referee then handed a golden trophy and the Chaos Emerald to Almond. Almond, Amy, and Marina then lifted Kai out of the stadium.

Eventually, Kai slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in Hazel's mansion. He was lying in bed. Nobody was in the room with him. Suddenly, a door in the room opened. Hazel, Toad, Almond, Amy, and Marina walked in.

"You're awake!" Toad exclaimed.

"What happened?" Kai asked as he slowly sat up.

"You won the match and then passed out," Almond answered. "We found out that your left arm was broken, your right arm was heavily bruised, and you had deep cuts all over your body. We got Hazel to mend your bones and heal those cuts, but you'll be bruised for a few more days."

"I can feel it," Kai said as he rubbed his right arm.

"The last part of the match was strange," Marina said. "Somehow, your magical energy rose above normal levels, you grew wings, and you moved too fast for the eyes to see."

"How did I do that?" Kai asked. "Hazel, you must know."

"I don't," Hazel replied. "I've never seen anything like that."

"I can explain it," Almond said. "It's in an old book that we have deep within the library. I brought it with me."

Almond took out an old, dusty, brown book. He opened it up.

"Here we go," Almond said. "Whenever the body is under great stress, the magic system…"

"That's a body system that controls magical energy flow," Hazel interrupted.

"Thanks," Almond said. "Anyway, the magic system, when the body is under stress, increases the speed of magic flow in order to get the body out of danger. This only happens when someone is faced with a life-or-death situation."

"But how did Kai grow wings?" Toad asked.

"Hazel, you once told me that Kai found out that he was part Avian," Almond said.

"I remember that," Hazel replied.

"Avians were known to have wings made of pure magical energy," Almond continued. "These wings allow the user to fly by using magic to control the wind currents around them. Since Kai is only part Avian, he doesn't normally have wings. I'm guessing that he grows wings when his magical energy reaches its peak. That would also explain why his wings disappeared when Kai's magical energy was completely drained by his last attack."

"That must be why Kai grew wings during the match against the Lord of Darkness!" Hazel exclaimed. "He was plummeting from the sky. He would've died if his wings didn't grow!"

"This wing stuff sounds pretty cool!" Kai exclaimed. "I just wish that I could control it. Being able to fly through the sky would be amazing!"

"True," Toad said. "Maybe you'll learn to control it some day. Right now, however, we have to hunt down the Chaos Emeralds!"

"That's right!" Kai exclaimed. "We have three now! How many are there again?"

"A total of seven," Toad answered. "So we only need four more."

"Cool!" Kai exclaimed. "Alright, let's get going!"

Kai jumped out of bed.

"Shouldn't you rest for at least one more night?" Marina asked.

"No way!" Kai shouted. "I can rest on the ship. The sooner we leave, the better chance we have of getting those Chaos Emeralds before anyone else. Let's go!"

"Alright," Hazel said. "But I'm going with you guys. After seeing how much you got hurt in that last battle, I better tag along to heal your injuries."

"Cool!" Kai shouted. "If we had Zero with us, the whole gang would be back together! Maybe we'll find him on the journey."

"Maybe," Toad said. "Alright, Kai. Let's pack our bags and get going."

"Ok," Kai said.

Kai and Toad left to pack their bags. Hazel began to leave, but Marina stopped her.

"The real reason you're going is to be with Kai, right?" Marina asked.

Hazel's cheeks blushed with a brick-red color.

"Wh…wh…what makes you say that?!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Don't lie to me," Marina said. "You did almost nothing but talk about your adventures whenever you got back. Plus, when you see Kai after a few years, the first thing you did was hug him. I've seen lovesickness before, and you've got it."

Hazel then blushed brighter than ever. She then rushed out of the room to pack her bags.

"Do you have to embarrass Hazel like that?" Amy asked.

"At least I waited until Kai and Toad were out of the room," Marina said.

"If you did that, you would've died from hammer-shaped wounds," Amy said.

"True," Marina said.

Later that day, Kai, Toad, and Hazel set sail on the S.S. Mushroom. When they were out to sea, Kai turned to Toad.

"Where are we going next?" Kai asked. "Dreamland? Pokemon Land?"

"Nope," Toad said as he watched the Chaos Radar. "According to the radar, we'll be leaving the Gameon Islands completely."

"So we'll be trekking unknown territory," Kai said. "Cool. Let's go! Next stop, adventure!"

The ship sailed further and further out to sea. Who knows where they'll go? What kinds of allies will they meet? Will they rejoin with Zero? Who knows?


	13. Chapter 13: Dr Eggman

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 13: Dr. Eggman**

One morning, after a week of sailing, Toad checked the Chaos Radar and found out that they were extremely close to the next emerald.

"We're almost there," Toad said. "I'd better get some breakfast."

Toad than ran into the ship's kitchen. He found Hazel and Kai in there, already eating their breakfasts. On the table were several large plates: one with scrambled eggs, one with bacon, one with biscuits, and one with fruits on it. Plus, there was a bowl of grits to the side.

"Come here and get some breakfast, Toad," Kai said. "Hazel and I made it this morning."

"When did you make breakfast?" Toad asked.

"While you were sleeping," Hazel answered. "Kai and I got hungry and made some breakfast. We tried to wake you up, but you just continued sleeping."

"Alright," Toad said.

Toad then sat down at the table with Kai and Hazel and began to eat breakfast.

"We're almost to the next Chaos Emerald," Toad said.

"Where are we anyway?" Kai asked.

"I'll check," Hazel said as she took out a map.

She set the map on a clear spot on the table. After a minute of analyzing the map, she pointed out a spot near a large continent.

"We should be right here," Hazel said. "We're near the Delfigalo Continent."

"Delfigalo?" Kai asked.

"The Delfigalo Continent is said to be a beautiful continent that is filled with many different kinds of people," Hazel answered. "It's the largest land-mass in the world."

"Cool," Kai said.

"Toad, could you hand me the Chaos Radar?" Hazel asked.

Toad then handed the Chaos Radar to Hazel. She began to fiddle with it. Eventually, she stopped and turned the screen toward Kai and Toad. It showed the four remaining Chaos Emeralds.

"What does this mean?" Kai asked.

"I adjusted the radar to show the size of the Delfigalo Continent," Hazel said. "This proves that all four of the remaining emeralds are scattered across Delfigalo."

"That should make things a bit simpler," Kai said.

"Normally, yes," Toad said. "But, as Hazel said, Delfigalo is the largest land-mass in the world. It's larger than all of the Gameon Islands put together."

"Whoa," Kai said.

"Plus, since the ship can't sail on land, we'll have to bring all of our supplies with us," Hazel said. "So we'd be best to pack everything we need, plus several bags of money for train fare."

"Alright," Kai said. "So how long until we get there?"

"I'm thinking about an hour," Hazel said. "So start packing your backpack."

An hour later, Kai, Toad, and Hazel docked their ship. Once they got off, they were surprised that the first thing that they saw was a large city.

"Where are we?" Kai asked.

"I think that this is Central Square!" Hazel exclaimed. "This place is the largest city in the Delfigalo Continent!"

"Whoa!" Kai exclaimed.

Toad then took a look at the Chaos Radar.

"We're still a ways off from the Chaos Emerald," Toad said. "I'll get us a map and find out exactly where it is. The train station should have one."

Toad then ran off. A few minutes later, he came back with a map in his hands.

"According to the map, the Chaos Emerald is in the Mystic Ruins," Toad said. "But we won't be able to go there except by train."

"So let's get tickets," Kai said.

"Already done," Toad said. "I bought some while I was at the train station. The next train heading for Mystic Ruins leaves tomorrow evening."

"So I guess we'll just have to spend today and tomorrow here," Hazel said. "I'll find us a hotel for the night."

"Why a hotel?" Toad asked. "We can sleep just fine on the ship."

"If we sleep on the ship, I won't be able to activate the security system I had my butlers install," Hazel said as she walked toward the ship.

"Security system?" Kai asked.

"What the hell have you done to my ship?" Toad asked suspiciously.

"Since we'll be traveling around a lot by train, I thought that I'd protect our ship from thieves," Hazel said. "So I installed a security system. I'll turn it on."

Hazel pulled out a strange box. She then concentrated magical energy into it. Then a strange barrier surrounded the S.S. Mushroom.

"Throw a rock at it," Hazel said.

"Alright," Toad said.

Toad then picked up a rock from the ground. He then threw the rock. The rock instantly exploded when it hit the barrier.

"YOU COULD KILL SOMEONE WITH THIS!!!" Toad shouted.

"No," Hazel said. "This would just knock them out for a few days. A rock is destroyed a lot easier than a person."

"I'm scared to ask where you got this thing," Toad said.

"Let's just go," Hazel said. "I'll get us a hotel."

Hazel then walked off. Toad then walked away as well. Kai just stood there for a few seconds. He then picked up another rock and threw it at the barrier. The rock exploded just like the first one.

"Awesome!" Kai exclaimed.

Kai continued to pummel the barrier with rocks.

An hour later, Kai, Toad, and Hazel were walking through the city.

"Where should we go first?" Kai asked.

"We could do almost anything," Hazel said. "There's an amusement park near the coast, there's a large beach near the hotel, and there's a casino in the middle of the city."

"Aren't we too young to gamble?" Kai asked.

"What are you talking about?" Toad asked. "I don't know what it's like in your world, but the gambling age here is 15."

"Logic in this world is nuts," Kai said. "If any of the guys at my school could gamble, they would blow all of their money in an instant."

"We can go to the casino tonight," Hazel said. "We should hit the beach first."

"Alright!" Kai exclaimed.

So a half-an-hour later, they went to the beach. Kai and Toad were sunbathing on the beach. They were wearing swim-trunks. Kai's were red like his bandana, which he was also wearing. Toad's were blue.

"It's good to relax once in a while," Kai said. "It can't get much better than this."

Hazel then rose up from the ocean's water. She was wearing a one-piece, blue swimsuit. Kai just watched as she rose out of the water. Toad looked at Kai strangely.

"What are you staring at?" Toad asked.

Kai jumped at what Toad said. His cheeks were bright red.

"NOTHING!" Kai exclaimed suddenly. "Nothing at all!"

"Whatever," Toad said.

Hazel then walked up to them.

"This is great!" Hazel exclaimed happily. "Let's go play some beach volleyball."

"But we only have three people," Kai said.

"I'll be referee," Toad said. "You two can play."

"Do we have a volleyball?" Kai asked.

"I bought a cheap one earlier," Hazel said. "Let's go!"

Kai and Hazel started to play volleyball while Toad watched. Kai eventually spiked it after a few rounds. Hazel missed, and the ball bounced into the ocean.

"I'll get it!" Hazel exclaimed.

Hazel walked toward the ball. Suddenly, the water began to rise. Six robots rose from the ocean. The volleyball bounced on Toad's head. Everyone on the beach except Kai, Toad, and Hazel screamed in terror. Kai found his sword, Toad began to charge up a spell, and Hazel found her hammer.

"It looks like there's more robots, just like before," Kai said as he remembered the night on the castle roof.

"Yeah," Toad said. "But we're stronger now. We'll be able to take them on."

"Right," Kai said.

The robots began to attack. The robots began to fire bullets toward them, but Hazel blocked them with her barrier. Toad then began to blast them with **Fira** spells. Some of the robots went down. Kai then finished the rest of them with his **Dragon Claw** technique.

"That was easy," Kai said.

"Too easy," Hazel replied.

Toad noticed that the water began to bubble. Suddenly, a flying robot shaped like a dragon rose from the water. Its head had a cockpit in it. In the driver's seat was Dr. Eggman.

"So you are the swordsman who's been destroying my robots," Eggman said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik. You may call me Dr. Eggman."

"What do you want?" Kai asked in a serious voice.

"You've been collecting some emeralds for me," Eggman said. "I'll just take them off of your hands."

"He must mean the Chaos Emeralds," Toad said.

"Really?" Hazel asked sarcastically. "I did not know that."

"Shut up," Toad said.

"If you don't hand them over, I'll just use my robot to destroy this entire city," Eggman said. "So what will it be?"

"Eat dirt, fat-man!" Kai shouted.

Eggman's face turned sour.

"Ignorant fool!" Eggman shouted. "I'll kill you first!"

"Let me handle this," Kai said. "This guy is mine."

"I want to finish him," Toad said. "How about a game of rock-paper-scissors."

"I'm in!" Hazel exclaimed. "I want to test my skills!"

Kai, Hazel, and Toad began to play rock-paper-scissors. Dr. Eggman was getting annoyed at this. Kai eventually won by getting paper while Hazel and Toad both got rock.

"Crap," Toad said. "I meant to do scissors."

"I win!" Kai shouted. "I get to fight!"

Kai then stepped forward.

"You're going to wish that you had your friends!" Eggman shouted.

The dragon-robot rose into the air. The nails on the dragon's claws turned out to be missiles. The missiles launched toward Kai. Kai dodged the attacks by jumping out of the way. Kai then charged forward. The robot's mouth opened wide. An energy beam shot from the mouth and toward Kai. Kai blocked it with his sword.

Kai noticed that the robot's attacks are preventing him from getting any closer.

"You cannot win!" Eggman shouted.

The dragon launched more and more missiles toward Kai. Kai kept dodging these missiles again and again.

"If I had my bomb-rocks, I use them," Kai thought. "But I left them with my clothes at the hotel. If I could just blow up…wait! That's it!"

Kai then started to run away.

"Where are you going?!" Hazel shouted.

"Catch me if you can, tubby!" Kai shouted.

Eggman's robot began to follow Kai down the coastline. Eventually, the docks came into view. Kai stopped when he got near the S.S. Mushroom.

Kai then stuck out his tongue. Dr. Eggman then prepared another energy blast in the dragon's mouth. When it shot out, Kai jumped out of the way. The beam hit Hazel's barrier. But because the energy wasn't solid, the beam was instead reflected back toward Dr. Eggman's robot. When the beam hit, the robot malfunctioned. It couldn't move at all.

Kai took advantage of this. He charged white, magical energy into his blade. He then slashed the robot with **Dragon Claw**. The robot split in half, and sparks began to shoot off of the robot. Dr. Eggman then removed the cockpit from the actual robot.

"This isn't the end!" Eggman shouted as his cockpit flew away.

The robot's body then exploded as Eggman disappeared. Toad and Hazel then ran up to Kai.

"How did you know that would happen, Kai?" Toad asked.

"I didn't," Kai said.

"WHAT?!" Hazel and Toad shouted.

"I was sure that the robot would shoot its rockets toward me," Kai said. "I was going to use the explosion from the shield as a cover so I could sneak up on him and slice him in half. But it all worked out in the end."

Toad and Hazel just stared at him.

"Now what do we do?" Kai asked.

"I guess we go back to the beach," Hazel said.

They began to walk back toward where they were.

"I say we go to the amusement park tomorrow," Toad said.

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14: Koopa Bros

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 14: Koopa Bros.**

Hazel and Toad had to carry Kai on the train, because he was fast asleep. Kai had spent the whole night playing pinball at the arcade and the whole day racing Toad on go-karts.

They barely made it on the train. Just as they got in their seats, the train left. Kai was fast asleep through the whole thing.

"That's what happens when Kai's on a roll," Hazel said. "He just had to get that high-score on the pinball game."

"Then he had to beat me on the go-karts," Toad said.

"That's what you get for telling him how 'great' you were at racing," Hazel said. "He beat you on 9 out of 10 races."

"At least I beat him once!" Toad shouted.

"Because his kart had engine problems half-way through the race," Hazel said.

"Shut up," Toad said.

"You two sound like a married couple," someone said from behind them.

Hazel and Toad turned around and saw a pink hedgehog wearing a red dress.

"Who are you?" Toad asked.

"It's always polite to give your own name first," the hedgehog said.

"I'm Toad," Toad said. "She's Hazel. And Rip van Winkle here is Kai."

Kai mumbled a bit when Toad said this.

"Good to meet you," the hedgehog replied. "My name is Amy Rose. So where are you heading?"

"We're going to the Mystic Ruins to seek out an ancient treasure," Hazel said. "How about you?"

"My friend has a workshop near the ruins," Amy said. "I'm going to visit him."

"That sounds cool," Hazel said.

They continued this conversation as the train sped through a canyon. On the cliff-tops, four shadows were watching the train.

"This is it," one of the shadows said. "That's the train where the Chaos Emeralds are."

"Lord Bowser will be pleased with us, dudes," a second shadow said.

"Alright, let's do this!" a third shadow said.

The four shadows jumped into the air. Back on the train, Kai was still asleep.

"So your friend makes airplanes," Hazel said. "That's cool."

"He makes all sorts of gadgets," Amy said. "I'm not sure what most of them do, but…"

Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt. Kai still didn't wake up. Hazel, Toad, and Amy fell out of their seats.

"What's going on?!" Hazel exclaimed. "I'm going to check on the conductor."

Hazel then stomped toward the front of the train. She peered in through the door and saw four Koopas. They were wearing ninja masks. Each mask was a different color: red, black yellow, and green.

Hazel ran back to her seat.

"What's going on?" Toad asked.

"We've got company," Hazel answered.

"Who?" Toad asked.

"Four Koopas," Hazel answered. "They're wearing ninja masks."

"They must be the Koopa Brothers!" Toad shouted.

"Who are the Koopa Brothers?" Hazel asked.

"They're a group of Bowser's elite fighters," Toad said. "They are said to be the most dangerous team of fighters."

"And of course…Kai is still asleep!" Hazel shouted.

Kai muttered a bit, but he remained asleep.

"Crap," Hazel said. "I guess we'll have to deal…wait!"

"What?" Toad asked.

"Where's Amy?" Hazel asked.

Toad looked around. Amy Rose was nowhere in sight.

In the front car, the Koopa Brothers had scared everyone to one side of the car.

"Listen carefully and none of you will be hurt," the red one said. "If you've seen a dude named Kai Kamai, speak up. We know that he's on this train. If nobody talks, the train will be taking a one way trip to crash-ville."

Everyone was too scared to move.

"I see," the red one said. "Black, go check the next car down."

"Alright," the black one said.

The Black Koopa walked to the door leading to the next car. He opened the door and was instantly forced backwards by something hard.

"What's going on?!" the red one asked.

Amy Rose was standing in the door. She was holding her Piko-Piko hammer. The Black Koopa had a large bump on his head.

"Leave this train alone, you big bullies!" Amy shouted as she ran forward.

She swung her mighty hammer, but the Koopas got out of the way.

"Get back here!" Amy shouted.

"Maybe you'd stand a chance if there was only one of us," the red one said. "But you have to deal with four of us!"

"Yeah!" the yellow one shouted.

"You're going down," the green one said.

"Try saying that when I've broken your bones!" Amy shouted.

She began to swing wildly at the Koopas. The Koopas then climbed to the roof of the train.

"You're not getting away!" Amy shouted as she followed them onto the roof.

Toad and Hazel were watching from the door.

"She's kinda scary," Toad said.

"Yeah," Hazel said.

"They may be strange, but the Koopas are right," Toad said. "Amy doesn't stand a chance against four of them. I'll go on the roof. You try to wake Kai up."

"Right," Hazel said. "I'll join you as soon as I can."

Toad then began to follow Amy, and Hazel ran back to wake up Kai.

Amy and the Koopas were squaring off.

"Now that we have some room, we'll be able to smash you with our super-awesome technique!" the red one shouted. "Alright, bros. Let's do this!"

The Koopas climbed on top of each other. They then withdrew into their shells. Their shells then began to spin rapidly. A strange energy surrounded the spinning tower of turtles.

"**Spinning Power-Shell**!" The Koopa Bros. shouted together.

The tower spun toward Amy. Amy tried to smack it with her hammer, but they were too strong. She was forced backwards. The Koopas stopped spinning. They then appeared from their shells.

"We told you," the red one said. "Nothing can stop our awesome might! Let's finish this, bros."

"Right," the other three Koopas said.

"Not so fast!" a voice shouted from behind them.

They turned around and saw Toad.

"What's a mushroom doing way out here?" the yellow one asked.

"I'm not sure," the green one replied.

"Wait!" the black one shouted. "I've heard that a mushroom was traveling with Kai. This must be him."

"Good," the red one said. "This will make finding Kai easier. He'll definitely come here to save his buddy."

"I'll take you guys down!" Toad shouted.

The Koopas withdrew into their shells. They then spun separately toward Toad. Toad dodged all four of the shells. He then began to charge a spell. When the Koopas got out of their shells, he slammed a **Blizzara** spell into the ground. Large pillars of ice rose up from the ground. The Koopas managed to dodge the sharp, frozen spikes. They then spun in their shells and destroyed the spikes, sending the pieces toward Toad, who cast a **Fira** spell to melt them away.

"This won't be easy," Toad said.

Meanwhile, Hazel was down in the train. She was pouring water on Kai's face. He still didn't wake up.

"What will it take to wake you up?!" Hazel shouted as she swung her hammer.

She hit Kai on the head, but he still didn't wake up.

"This is harder than I thought," Hazel said.

She then picked Kai up onto her shoulders.

"I have to help Toad, and you're coming with me," Hazel said.

Kai muttered a bit more, but he was definitely still asleep. Hazel then began to climb to the roof.

Toad was getting tired from his fight with the Koopas.

"I…will…not…lose," Toad panted.

"Let's finish him, dudes!" the red one shouted.

"Right," the others agreed.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a voice shouted from behind them.

They turned around again and saw Hazel and Kai, who was still asleep.

"Who's the chick?" the black one asked.

"Hazel!" Toad shouted. "You're here! You…didn't wake Kai up?!"

"He's like a rock," Hazel said. "Nothing wakes him."

"That sleeping dude must be Kai Kamai," the yellow one said.

"You're right," the red one said. "Now we can finish him off."

"If you want Kai, you'll have to go through me!" Hazel shouted.

"And me!" Toad shouted as he ran to her side.

"Fine," the red one said. "All that stands in our way is a worn-out mushroom and a girl. This will be a snap."

"How much strength do you have left, Toad?" Hazel asked.

"Not much," Toad answered. "I probably have enough for two spells at most, unless I use low-level spells like **Fire**."

"Great," Hazel said sarcastically. "I guess I'll just have to go on the offensive."

The Koopas charged their **Spinning Power-Shell **attack. Hazel began to charge spinning, magical energy into her right hand. The Koopas then charged forward toward her. Hazel charged forward as well. Her **Gyro Sphere** met with their attack.

At first, it looked like a tie, but the Koopas began to spin faster for some reason. Hazel was blown back by the sheer force of their attack.

"What happened?" Hazel asked.

"I guess that spinning attacks won't work against them," Toad said. "Your **Gyro Sphere** is useless."

"And that happens to be one of my only attacking-spells," Hazel said.

"Alright, let's rock and roll with our most powerful move!" the red one shouted.

The Koopas stacked themselves into a tower again. They withdrew into their shells and started to spin. But a strange energy surrounded them. It felt like heat.

"I'll just block it!" Hazel shouted. "Nothing gets through my barrier."

The tower of Koopas lit on fire.

"**Spinning, Fire-Shell**!!!" the Koopas shouted as they charged for Hazel and Toad.

Hazel used her **Barrier** spell to defend against this new attack. The Koopas' attack it the barrier.

The Koopas attack continued spinning when it hit the barrier. Suddenly, a crack appeared on Hazel's spell.

"What?!" Hazel exclaimed.

The crack grew larger until the barrier shattered. Hazel and Toad were forced backwards.

"Now that we've finished these two off, we can take down Kai," the red one said.

"No," Hazel said weakly. "I…won't…let…you."

The Koopas crept up toward the sleeping Kai. Once they got close enough, they charged forward. Hazel shut her eyes. She heard some attacking noises. When she opened her eyes, she saw the Koopas being blown away by Kai.

"Is Kai awake?" Hazel thought.

"I WON'T LOSE, MR. L!!!" Kai shouted.

"Mr. L?" Hazel asked.

She noticed that Kai's eyes were shut. He was still asleep!

"What's going on?" Toad asked.

"I'm not sure," Hazel answered.

Kai hacked and slashed at the Koopa Brothers. After a few minutes of this, he charged a **Dragon Claw** attack and knocked them far away like four baseballs.

"You better run!" Kai shouted.

He then fell back down.

"I've heard of sleep-talking, but not sleep-slashing!" Toad exclaimed.

"Kai beat them all in his sleep," Hazel said. "Now that's saying something."

Amy was awe-struck by what she just saw. She slowly got up.

"You guys are amazing," Amy said.

"Thanks," Toad said.

He then felt some small things rattling in his pocket. He pulled the stuff out and his eyes widened with fear. In his hands were bits and pieces of the Chaos Radar.

"I BROKE THE CHAOS RADAR!!!" Toad shouted.

"WHAT?!" Hazel exclaimed.

"It must've busted during the fight," Toad said frantically. "We'll never fix it! Without it, we'll never find the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Did you say 'Chaos Emeralds'?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, why?" Toad asked.

"My friend, Tails, is an expert on the Chaos Emeralds," Amy answered. "He'll get that thing working in no time! In fact, it's his workshop that I'm going to. You guys can come with me."

"Sweet!" Toad shouted. "Let's go see this Tails guy!"

Hazel and Toad carried Kai as they followed Amy back down into the train. Kamek was watching them from the skies.

"Those Koopa Brothers got knocked around as if they were nothing!" Kamek shouted. "Lord Bowser won't be happy."

Kamek then flew away, heading for Bowser.


	15. Chapter 15: Meeting Tails

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 15: Meeting Tails**

After an hour on the train, Kai woke up to the sound of a crowd of people. He found that the train had stopped. They had reached their destination.

"Good-morning!" Kai cheerfully said. "What a great nap!"

"What took you so long?" Toad asked. "You slept through the whole train ride."

"Well train rides are usually boring," Kai said.

"If he only knew," Hazel thought.

"So where are the Mystic Ruins?" Kai asked. "That's where we're going, right?"

"We are, but we have to make a quick stop first," Hazel said.

"Where?" Kai asked.

"At my friend's workshop," Amy Rose answered.

Kai hadn't noticed her until this point.

"Who's the hedgehog?" Kai asked. "And what does she mean?"

Hazel and Toad then explained everything to Kai.

"YOU BROKE THE CHAOS RADAR?!" Kai exclaimed. "How did that happen?!"

"We already explained," Hazel said. "It must've happened during the battle."

"And another thing," Kai said. "Why didn't you guys wake me up for the fight? I could've been a big help."

"But you did!" Toad shouted. "You were sleep-fighting, but you did fight!"

"But how fun can bashing Koopas be if you sleep through the whole thing?" Kai asked.

"Let's just go!" Amy shouted.

Amy Rose then led Kai, Toad, and Hazel to a small workshop on a hill.

"Is this it?" Hazel asked.

"Yep," Amy answered. "Why?"

"Because we thought it'd be…bigger," Toad said.

Amy knocked on the door.

"Tails, I'm here!" Amy shouted.

"Just a second!" a voice shouted from inside.

The sound of someone rushing up stairs was heard from inside the workshop. Then the door opened. In the doorway was an orange, two-tailed fox.

"Hey, Amy," the fox said. "Who are these guys?"

"Let me introduce them," Amy said. "These guys are Kai, Toad, and Hazel. Guys, this is my friend, Tails. He's a real genius."

"We were told that you were an expert on Chaos Emeralds," Toad said.

"What do you know about the Chaos Emeralds?" Tails asked.

"How about you let us in, and we'll explain," Kai said.

Tails led Amy, Kai, Toad, and Hazel into his workshop. The building was much larger from the inside. There was a small room on ground level, but underground was a large hangar with several planes in it. It also had a lab table, several computers, and more stuff that one would expect to find in a laboratory.

Toad explained everything about their adventure.

"So Eggman is after the Chaos Emeralds again," Tails said.

"Again?" Kai asked. "So he's done this before?"  
"Yep," Tails said. "My best buddy, Sonic, has to deal with him all of the time. In fact, Sonic was here a few minutes ago."

"SONIC WAS HERE?!" Amy shouted. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"You didn't ask!" Tails answered. "He came here about half-an-hour ago and left just a few minutes ago."

"So if those stupid turtles didn't attack the train, I would've been able to be with Sonic?!" Amy exclaimed. "That sucks!"

"Turtles?" Tails asked.

"They're called The Koopa Brothers," Toad answered. "They come from the Gameon Islands, where we live. My guess is that, somehow, their master, Bowser, heard of the Chaos Emeralds."

"Maybe he was spying on us when we were talking about them back at the castle," Kai suggested.

"It's possible," Toad said.

"So where's this Chaos Radar that you need me to fix?" Tails asked.

"Right here," Toad said.

He pulled out the broken pieces of the Chaos Radar.

"This thing is really advanced," Tails said. "Quite amazing. Who made this."

"Professor E. Gadd," Toad said. "He's this strange scientist that lives in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I'd really like to meet him someday," Tails said. "To make such an advanced piece of technology is a feat that can only be done by the greatest of scientists."

"So can you fix this thing?" Kai asked.

"I can," Tails said. "But it'll take at least a day. Plus, I'll need to borrow a Chaos Emerald to work with."

"Here you go," Toad said as he pulled out one of the three Chaos Emeralds that they had collected.

Tails examined the Chaos Emerald. He then grabbed some tools.

"I'll get to work on this," Tails said. "But I'll need you guys to find something for me."

"What?" Hazel asked.

"I need you to go to Angel Island in the sky," Tails said. "It's nearby here. I need you to find a certain herb up there. It has gathered a strange energy from being around the Master Emerald for years."

"Two questions," Kai said. "One, what is the 'Master Emerald'?"

"I've heard of it!" Hazel exclaimed. "I read about it in Mythology of the Ancients. It's supposedly the crystal created to control the power of the Chaos Emeralds."

"Correct," Tails said.

"Second question: why do you need this herb?" Kai asked.

"By harnessing the energy within the herb, the Chaos Radar can locate the energy in the Chaos Emeralds," Tails answered.

"Ok," Hazel said. "What does it look like?"

Tails opened a book and showed them a picture of the herb. It was shaped like a star.

"Alright!" Kai exclaimed. "Let's go!"

"One problem," Toad said. "We can't fly. How do we get up there? I'm not riding the train all the way back to Station Square to get the Air-Ship."

"I guess I'll just have to take you up there in one of my planes," Tails said. "But I can only fit one person in the plane. Who's coming?"

"I'll go!" Kai shouted suddenly. "I've always wanted to fly in a plane!"

"Ok," Tails said. "You guys just wait here. Kai and I'll be back in an hour or two."

Tails then led Kai to a blue airplane. On the side, it showed the word "Tornado III".

"Cool," Kai said.

"It gets cooler," Tails said. "I've modified this baby myself. It can be a plane, a car, or a robo-walker."

"Awesome!" Kai exclaimed. "Let's fly!"

Tails hopped into the cockpit and Kai sat in the backseat.

"Amy, could you open the hangar?" Tails asked.

"Sure!" Amy answered.

She ran to a red button on the wall.

"Everyone get near the wall," Amy said.

Toad and Hazel walked over to the same wall that Amy was near. Amy then pressed the red button. The whole building began to shake. The building then split in half, revealing the cliff that the workshop is on. A runway rose from the ground.

"Here we go!" Tails shouted as he pressed a few buttons.

The plane then rocketed forward as Kai screamed with excitement. When it got to the end of the runway, the plane rose upwards. It eventually was so high that the ground could only barely be seen beneath the clouds.

"Cool!" Kai shouted.

"We should be there in a few minutes!" Tails shouted.

After about five minutes of flying, Kai saw something that he had never seen before. An entire island was floating in the sky.

"There's Angel Island," Tails said. "Let's go!"

The plane zoomed toward the island. When they landed, Kai and Tails hopped off of the plane.

"We'll most likely find the herb near the Master Emerald's shrine," Tails said. "My bet is that we'll see Knuckles there."

"Who?" Kai asked.

"You'll see," Tails said.

Tails led Kai across the Island. They eventually reached the exact center of the island. Just as Tails said, an old looking, large shrine with a huge green emerald was there. There were seven pillars around the large emerald. A red echidna was sleeping in front of the emerald.

"Hey, Knuckles!" Tails shouted.

The echidna woke up. He walked over to Tails and Kai.

"Tails, what are you doing here?" Knuckles asked.

"We're here for some Starlight Herbs," Tails answered. "We need it to fix something for this guy. Do you know where we can get some?"

"Follow me," Knuckles answered.

Knuckles began to lead Tails and Kai around the shrine. After a few steps, Kai felt light-headed. The whole world began to spin around him and he passed out.

When he woke up, he found himself at the shrine, except that the shrine looked as if it had been build yesterday. The Chaos Emeralds were on the seven pillars surrounding the Master Emerald.

"Whoa," Kai said. "Tails! Knuckles!"

Kai took a few steps forward. He then heard rustling in some bushes behind him. He also heard a couple of people talking. Kai immediately hid behind a stone.

Kai watched as a man and an Echidna walked through the bushes. The strange thing about the man was that he had wings.

"An Avian!" Kai thought.

"So we've set the seven Emeralds of Power and the Master Emerald here," the avian said. "In exchange for giving you protection from enemies by making your island float, your tribe will protect the emeralds."

"Correct," the echidna said.

"Plus, you'll allow the Chaos to live near the shrine," the avian said. "They are too delicate for the harsh realities of the forests below."

"Fine," the echidna said. "What if they're affected by the emeralds? Will they go through a change?"

"They might," the avian answered. "But I'm sure that it'll be for the better. As long as you do not provoke them, your people will remain safe."

"Thank you," the echidna said.

"Whoa," Kai said. "I must be dreaming."

A white cloud covered the entire island until Kai couldn't see anything. When the cloud faded he could see Tails and Knuckles above him.

"What happened?" Kai asked.

"You passed out," Knuckles said. "You must not be used to the high altitudes of Angel Island. We've got the herbs that you need. It'd be best for you to leave immediately before you pass out again."

Tails held out a handful of Starlight herbs.

"Sure," Kai said. "Let's go to the Tornado."

"Bye, Knuckles!" Tails shouted.

"See ya, Tails," Knuckles said.

Tails led Kai back to the Tornado.

"Was that only a dream?" Kai thought. "Or was it a vision of the past? Who knows?"


	16. Chapter 16: Shadows in the Mystic Ruins

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 16: Shadows in the Mystic Ruins**

After Tails and Kai returned to the workshop, Tails began to work on the Chaos Radar. Since they had nowhere else to go, Kai, Toad, and Hazel stayed there. Kai took advantage of their stay to tell Toad and Hazel about the vision he had on Angel Island.

"That's strange," Toad said. "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "It felt real."

"It could be real," Hazel said. "No one ever discovered how the Chaos Emeralds first came to Angel Island. We just know that the Chaos Emeralds originated there along with Chaos and the Echidnas, according to Mythology of the Ancients. Maybe the Avians created the Chaos Emeralds and made the island float."

"It's still weird," Toad said. "But, of course, when has anything ever made sense on our journey?"

The following morning, Tails was continuing his work on the Chaos Radar while Kai and his friends were asleep. Amy Rose had spent the night there as well, in hopes that Sonic would come back to visit Tails.

"I've finished!" Tails shouted suddenly.

Kai and Toad fell out of their beds by this sudden burst of excitement. Hazel and Amy slowly woke up to see Kai and Toad rubbing their heads to relieve the pain.

"Ow," Kai said sleepily. "What's going on, Tails?"

"I just finished fixing your Chaos Radar," Tails said. "Check it out."

Tails activated the Chaos Radar. The screen showed all of the Chaos Emeralds.

"Sweet!" Toad shouted. "Now we can find the next Chaos Emerald!"

Tails handed the Chaos Radar to Toad. Toad examined the screen.

"This should make finding the next Chaos Emerald easier," Toad said. "So let's get going to the Mystic Ruins."

"I'll take you there," Tails said. "I've been there several times. Are you coming, Amy?"

"No," Amy said. "I'll wait here to see if Sonic comes to visit."

"Alright," Tails said. "Let's get going."

Tails led Kai, Toad, and Hazel out of the workshop. They walked to a cave with a pond near it. The cave had train tracks inside and a mine-cart at the entrance.

"This mine-cart should lead us to Mystic Ruins," Tails said. "There's no other way inside the forest."

"Forest?" Kai asked.

"The Mystic Ruins are in the middle of a huge forest," Tails continued. "We'll have to navigate our way through the forest to reach the ruins. Let's get going."

They all hopped into the mine-cart. Tails pulled a lever, and the cart began to move through the cave. On the other side of the cave was a thick forest.

"I'll take you on the right path," Tails said. "Follow me."

Kai, Toad, and Hazel followed Tails through the forest. Unknown to them, however, the Koopa Brothers were watching them from the treetops.

"We found them," Yellow Koopa said. "Now we can get our revenge."

"Not yet," Red Koopa said. "It seems that they're heading for the next Chaos Emerald. We should follow them, let them lead us to it, and, when the time is right, steal the emeralds from underneath their noses."

"Brilliant!" Green Koopa exclaimed.

"Of course," Red Koopa said. "Now let's follow them."

The Koopa Brothers began to pursue Kai's group. After an hour of hiking through the woods, Kai and his friends arrived at the Mystic Ruins.

"Whoa!" Kai, Hazel, and Toad exclaimed together.

"Alright," Tails said. "The ruins are very dangerous, but, as long as you do what I say, we should be fine."

"Lead the way, Mr. Tour guide," Kai said.

Tails led them into the ruins. After carefully walking through the first two rooms, with the Koopa Brothers secretly following them, they arrived in a room with the next Chaos Emerald in it.

"We made it!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Strange," Toad said. "These ruins are smaller than I thought they'd be."

"We shouldn't dwell on that fact now," Kai said. "The Chaos Emerald is dead ahead!"

"Wait, Kai!" Tails exclaimed. "We should be extremely careful."

"Alright," Kai said. "What should we do?"

"You should cower in fear!" a voice shouted from behind them.

Smoke filled the entire room. When the smoke cleared, the Koopa Brothers were standing in between Kai's group and the Chaos Emerald.

"Not you idiots again," Toad groaned.

"You got lucky last time we met," Red Koopa said. "This time, we'll wipe the floor with you."

"So they're the Koopa Brothers," Kai said. "Now I'll get to enjoy beating them to a pulp!"

"Not so fast!" Red Koopa shouted. "We'll first grab this Chaos Emerald from you!"

The Koopa Brothers began to run toward the Chaos Emerald.

"DON'T YOU IDIOTS!!!" Tails shouted.

Kai, Toad, Hazel, and Tails began to chase the Koopa Brothers. The Koopas got there before them, however.

"Don't touch that emerald!" Tails shouted. "There could be a booby…"

The Black Koopa picked up the Chaos Emerald. The whole room began to shake.

"…trap," Tails finished.

Cracks began to form on the floor. Soon, the floor began to break apart. Eventually, Kai, Hazel, Toad, Tails, and the Koopa Brothers fell through the floor. Kai, Tails, and the Black Koopa fell separately from everyone else.

Soon, Kai couldn't see Toad, Hazel, or the other three Koopa Brothers. Darkness engulfed the area. The Chaos Emerald that the Black Koopa held began to glow. The light from the emerald surrounded the Black Koopa and Tails.

"I can't breathe," Kai thought. "It feels like…like I'm in the Twilight again."

Soon, Kai passed out. When he woke up, he found that he was on the ground. His whole body began to shake and it seemed like the room was spinning. Kai then screamed in pain and turned into a wolf. He looked at his body.

"I'm a wolf again!" Kai thought. "That can only mean one thing: I'm stuck in Twilight."

He then looked around at his surroundings. He could actually see everything around him. He was in a dark tunnel. He eventually saw Tails and the Black Koopa knocked out.

"Tails!" Kai thought.

Kai rushed over to Tails. Tails slowly woke up. He stared in Kai's direction. He then jumped back and screamed in fear.

"A…a…wolf!" Tails shouted.

"How can he see me?" Kai thought. "Midna said that anybody who falls into Twilight is unable to see me."

Tails then examined Kai. He found Kai's red bandana tied to Kai's front, right paw.

"Kai?" Tails asked. "Is that you?"

Kai nodded his head.

"Whoa," Tails said. "This is too freaky."

The Black Koopa woke up.

"Dude," Black Koopa said. "I have a splitting headache."

Tails and Kai turned to face the Koopa.

"Crud!" Black Koopa shouted. "I'm on my own!"

"We won't hurt you," Tails said. "Let's just figure out where we are."

The Black Koopa then noticed Kai, but he didn't know who he was.

"What's with the dog?" Black Koopa asked.

Kai growled at this. He didn't like being called a "dog", even if it was halfway true at this point.

"He's a wolf," Tails said. "And it's Kai. He's been cursed for some reason. I think that I've read about something like this before. In this one book that I read, it told of a strange force called Twilight that can cover the world. The Twilight is said to turn most people into spirits. But I guess it turns Kai into a wolf."

"But why aren't we spirits, dude?" Black Koopa asked. "Shouldn't we be all transparent and stuff?"

"I'm not sure," Tails said. "Wait! When we were falling, I remember the Chaos Emerald shining on the two of us. Maybe the Chaos Emeralds have the ability to protect people from the power of Twilight. That must mean that everyone else should be alright."

Kai shook his head.

"That's right," Tails said. "Toad left the Chaos Emeralds back at my Workshop just in case we were attacked. This is just great. Oh well, I guess we should try to get out of here."

"How do we do that?" Black Koopa asked.

"We?" Tails asked. "There's no 'we'? It's only Kai's group and me. You and your brothers should just stay here."

"Please help me!" Black Koopa begged. "I promise that my brothers and I will leave you alone if we get out! Please!"

He was bawling in front of Kai and Tails.

"Stop crying," Tails said. "We'll help you get out. The first thing we should do is try to restore light to the area. Twilight infects an area by splitting the light into many pieces, according to the book I read. Maybe we'll find this light."

"I don't see any bit of light anywhere," Black Koopa said.

Kai then closed his eyes and used his senses to find the light. In his mind, he saw a bug like the ones from Hyrule. Kai then jumped on the invisible insect and began to bite at it.

"I think your friend has gone crazy," Black Koopa said.

Kai destroyed the bug and revealed the light. Tails and the Black Koopa could see the light as well.

"How did he do that?!" Black Koopa asked.

"Maybe whatever's carrying the light is invisible," Tails said. "Kai's heightened senses can seek out the light. But where do we store it?"

Out of nowhere, a light-holder like the one from Hyrule appeared in Tails' hands. The ball of light that Kai just released went into the container. The container now had 1/12 of its total space filled.

"I guess we have to find more pieces of the light," Tails said. "And with Kai's senses, that should be simple. Kai, lead the way."

Kai sniffed out the correct path. He attacked the bugs one by one as Tails and the Black Koopa followed. After destroying ten more bugs, they reached a dead end. They were in a large, circular room.

"Kai, where's the last one?" Tails asked.

Kai sniffed around, but he couldn't find the last bug.

"What do we do now?" Black Koopa asked.

"I'm not sure," Tails replied. "I guess we should just turn around."

"_**Creatures of Twilight, you shall not escape**_!" a voice shouted from behind them.

The opening that led to the tunnel closed.

"What's going on?!" Tails asked.

Suddenly, a giant, stone golem fell from the ceiling.

"_**You shall not steal the last piece of the light from me**_!" the Golem shouted. "_**I am the guardian of the temple. If you wish to gain the light I hold, you must first defeat me in battle**_!"

The Golem then slammed his large, stone hand down to crush Kai, Tails, and the Black Koopa. Luckily, they jumped out of the way. Kai lunged forward to bite the golem, but his teeth couldn't pierce the Golem's hard body.

"_**Foolish beast**_!" the Golem shouted. "_**It will take much more than that to destroy me**_!"

The Golem then grabbed Kai and threw him against the wall.

"We aren't Twilight creatures!" Tails shouted. "We're trying to gather the light in order to return it!"

"_**Do you believe that I am a fool**_?!" the Golem shouted. "_**No denizen of the light can survive in the Twilight. You would turn into a spirit if you were truly from the light**_."

"He does have a point, dude," Black Koopa said.

The Golem continued to attack Kai, Tails, and the Black Koopa. The Black Koopa withdrew to his shell and spun toward the Golem. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough on his own to do anything.

"I work best with my bros.," Black Koopa said. "I'm useless in the fight. Fox dude, why aren't you fighting?"

"I'm just as weak as you are without the 'Tornado III'," Tails said. "And Kai doesn't stand a chance unless we can find a weak spot. Help me find one."

"Sure," Black Koopa said.

Tails and the Black Koopa began to run around the Golem. The Golem didn't notice them because Kai was attacking it repeatedly. The Golem felt no pain from Kai's bites, but he still knocked Kai down several times. Tails then noticed a red brick on the back of the Golem's head.

"If that isn't a weak spot, I don't know what is," Tails said. "Kai, aim for the back of the head!"

Kai heard this and began to move. He dodged the Golem's fists as he ran toward the Golem's back. He then grabbed the rough edges of the back of the Golem's left leg and began to climb. He was about halfway up when the Golem shook him off.

"You'll need to go much faster," Tails said. "Try climbing up his arm when he attacks."

Kai nodded his head. He then ran in front of the Golem. The Golem slammed his fist down. Kai then jumped onto the Golem's arm and began to climb. He eventually reached the back of the Golem's head. He then bit into the red brick. The Golem screamed in pain and fell over. Kai then jumped off.

"You did it!" Tails shouted.

The Golem then sat up. He noticed the bandana on Kai's front paw.

"_**I see**_," the Golem said. "_**You are truly human, aren't you**_?"

Kai nodded his head.

"How can you tell?" Tails asked.

"_**Two reasons**_," the Golem replied. "_**First of all, I've never seen a creature of darkness that wore human clothing. Secondly, you would've finished me once you had the chance if you were truly evil. I now believe that all three of you are denizens of the light. Take this sphere of light and return the light to these ruins**_."

The Golem then held his hands out. A ball of light formed in his palms. Tails took out the light container and absorbed the last sphere of light. A flash of light then rose from the container and filled the whole ruins. When the light faded, Kai had returned to his human form.

"We did it, dudes!" Black Koopa exclaimed.

"_**Chosen Warrior of Light, you must be careful**_," the Golem said to Kai. "_**As we speak, the forces of Twilight are beginning to infect the world. Whatever you do, you must not let their evil king gain the seven Chaos Emeralds. If he gains them all, two worlds will be covered in a permanent Twilight**_."

"Two worlds?" Kai thought. "Does he mean my world as well?"

"Thank you, Mr. Golem," Tails said. "Can you lead us out of here?"

"_**A portal to the entrance of the ruins is behind me**_," the Golem answered. "_**Take the portal as soon as you're ready. Your friends are waiting for you there**_."

"How did you know…never mind," Tails said. "Let's just get going."

"Wait, before we go, I have one more thing to do," Kai said.

Kai looked over toward the Black Koopa.

"What?" Black Koopa asked.

"Hand it over," Kai said.

The Black Koopa then pulled out the Chaos Emerald.

"If my brothers ask, you tortured me," Black Koopa said.

"Deal," Kai said as he grabbed the Chaos Emerald. "Let's go."

Kai, Tails, and the Black Koopa ran to the portal. They disappeared as soon as they touched the portal.

When they reappeared, they found that Hazel, Toad, and the other three Koopas were waiting for them.

"We got it," Kai said. "We tortured your brother for it. If you Koopas don't leave now, you will face tortures far beyond what your minds can comprehend!"  
Kai then began to laugh evilly. The Koopa Brothers began to shake in fear. The Black Koopa shook as well so he didn't look suspicious. They then ran off. Hazel walked up to Kai.

"He just handed it over to you, didn't he?" Hazel asked.

"That obvious?" Kai asked.

"Oh yeah," Hazel answered.

"Let's go back to my workshop," Tails said. "Follow me."

After a few hours, they returned to Tails' workshop. When they walked through the door, they were surprised to find that the place was in ruins.

"What's going on?!" Tails shouted.

Amy crawled from the debris.

"Amy!" Tails shouted. "What happened?"

"It was Eggman!" Amy answered. "He appeared out of nowhere! I tried to stop him, but his robots overpowered me. He then stole the Chaos Emeralds."

"DAMN!" Kai shouted as he slammed his fist on a broken table. "We're back down to one!"

"That means we'll just have to gather the other three before Eggman," Toad said. "We'll leave in the morning. It's kinda late."

They then began to clean up the workshop. Kai couldn't help but think what would happen to this (and possibly his) world if Eggman got all seven of the Chaos Emeralds.


	17. Chapter 17: The Snow Woman

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 17: The Snow Woman**

Kai, Toad, and Hazel rode the train to their next location after learning that Eggman had the Chaos Emeralds. After a quite uneventful train ride, which Kai slept through, they arrived in Snowball Town. As you might be thinking, it snows around here almost everyday.

Kai, Toad, and Hazel walked off of the train and immediately put on their snowsuits. Kai wore a thick red coat and blue snow pants, Toad wore a blue coat and white snow pants, and Hazel wore a completely white snowsuit.

"It's freezing here!" Kai shouted while shivering. "Are you sure that the Chaos Emerald is here?"

"Yep," Toad said. "The Chaos Radar is never wrong."

"Then where is it?" Hazel asked.

"On Mt. Icicle in the Frost Valley," Toad answered.

"They sound warm," Kai said sarcastically. "Maybe we won't need these coats after all."

"Joke all you want, Kai," Toad said. "That doesn't change the fact that we'll have to walk through a blizzard."

They then bought more supplies at the local market. As soon as they were packed, they walked toward the town's gate, which faced a large, snow-filled valley.

"Let's go!" Kai shouted.

"You aren't going out there, are you?" a deep voice shouted from behind them.

They turned around and saw a grey-haired, thick-mustached old man wearing a black coat.

"Who are you?" Hazel asked.

"I am Mayor Froze," the old man said. "Now, back to the subject. Are you seriously going out there?"

"Yep," Kai said. "We're hunting a rare gem that's out in the valley."

"That's suicide," the mayor said. "No man who has ever entered Frost Valley has ever come back. Some of our bravest men have disappeared into that place."

"That doesn't matter," Toad said. "We need to get something out there, and you can't stop us."

"Fine," the mayor said. "Just let me tell you of an old legend of the valley. This legend is what drove young men to go deep within the valley.

"One hundred years ago, a young woman appeared in our town. She said that she was building a home near Mt. Icicle. The townspeople told her that it was dangerous, but she left anyway.

"She did what she said. She built a home near the mountain. She would come by town every week to pick up supplies. Every young man loved this woman. They say that her face was that of an angel.

"One day, however, the young woman didn't appear. When a group of young men went to the mountain, they couldn't find her. They could only find a necklace that she wore. They brought the necklace back into town. The next day, every single one of the men died of unknown causes. The necklace had disappeared as well.

"They say that the young woman's soul still haunts that mountain and will kill anyone who comes near to take anything. If it is treasure you seek from this venture, as it was for every young man who disappeared in the valley, the spirit of the young woman will destroy you."

When the mayor finished his story, he was surprised to find that none of them were shaking.

"We're not scared," Kai said. "We've dealt with all sorts of crazy monsters and spirits. Some snow woman should be no problem."

"Fine," the mayor said. "Just remember that I warned you."

The mayor then walked away.

"Let's do this!" Kai shouted. "Let's get that Chaos Emerald!"

The three of them then ventured out into the valley. After a half-an-hour of hiking, the group faced a horrible blizzard.

"Toad, how much farther?!" Hazel shouted.

"Just about a few miles!" Toad shouted back. "The mountain is dead ahead!"

"Where?!" Kai shouted. "I can't see anything through this damn blizzard!"

Eventually, they reached the mountain.

"We found it!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Let's start climbing!" Kai shouted.

They began to climb the mountain. After a half-an-hour of climbing, however, they heard a strange rumbling noise.

"Guys, I think that it's an avalanche," Hazel said. "We should be quiet."

"What?!" Kai asked.

"I said 'be quiet'," Hazel answered.

"What?!" Kai repeated.

"I SAID 'BE QUIET'!!!" Hazel shouted.

The rumbling got louder. Hazel covered her mouth when she found out about her mistake. A large, wave of snow came thundering down the mountain. Soon, they were covered in a thick blanket of snow. Kai passed out from the snow.

When he woke up, he found that he was in a warm bed in a strange cabin. He found Hazel and Toad, who were still asleep in bed. He looked to his left and found a fireplace that was lit. He looked to his right and found a door.

Hazel and Toad then woke up.

"Where are we?" Toad yawned.

"I don't know," Kai said. "It seems like we're in a cabin of some sort."

The door to the right then opened. In the door was a young woman. Her face looked like that of an angel, and she had long, flowing brunette hair. She also wore a thick coat.

"I'm glad you three are all right," the woman said. "My St. Bernard found you in the snow."

A large, St. Bernard came into the door. He let out a deep "woof".

"My name is Gloria," the woman said. "Who are you find travelers?"

"I'm Kai," Kai answered. "These guys are Toad and Hazel."

"Hi," Toad said.

"Hello," Hazel said.

"Welcome to my home," Gloria said. "You're the first travelers I've had in my home for quite some time. Please, make yourself at home."

"Thank you," Kai said.

"Follow me into the kitchen," Gloria said. "I'm preparing some hot cocoa. You're welcome to have some."

"Thank you, ma'am," Kai, Toad, and Hazel said.

They followed her into the kitchen. The Chaos Radar, which was right beside Toad's bed, revealed that the Chaos Emerald was slowly moving toward them.

She prepared them some hot cocoa. They began to drink it. They all smiled brightly.

"This is delicious!" Kai exclaimed.

"That's taking the word lightly!" Toad happily shouted. "This stuff is amazing!"

"Thank you," Gloria said. "You're welcome to have as much as you want."

"Thank you," Kai, Toad, and Hazel said.

"If you'll excuse me, I must check on something," Gloria said.

She left the room. As soon as she closed the door behind her, a sinister smile appeared on her face.

"Doesn't this all seem strange to you?" Hazel asked when she was sure that Gloria was gone.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"I feel that this whole thing is strange," Hazel said. "Think about it. I thought that nobody lived out here. But, somehow, we were saved by a woman who has heat and plenty of food. Where did she get it all?"

"Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth, Hazel," Kai said. "Just enjoy what we have."

"I guess you're right," Hazel said.

Toad then shuddered.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to pee," Toad said.

He rushed out of the room. He somehow found the toilet. After he got out of the restroom, he noticed that Gloria was straight ahead of him. She didn't seem to notice him, though. He felt like thanking her for her hospitality, but he changed his mind when he thought he saw something strange happening to her.

It seemed like snow was surrounding her. Plus, she had transparent horns on her head. When Toad noticed this, he silently walked back to the kitchen.

He eventually reached Kai and Hazel.

"Guys, I think we should leave," Toad said.

"Why?" Kai asked.

"I don't think that Gloria is human," Toad said. "I thought I saw snow flying around her, like she was controlling it. Plus, I thought I saw horns on her head!"

"You're seeing things," Kai said. "I guess you're still rattled from the avalanche."

"You're right," Toad said. "What was I thinking?"

Meanwhile, back in the earlier room, the Chaos Radar showed that the Chaos Emerald was extremely close and still coming.

After a few minutes, Gloria came back into the room. She had three bowls of strange, white stuff.

"I brought you all something to eat," Gloria said.

"Thanks," Kai said.

They each found a spoon and scooped up a bit of the white stuff. They then began to pull the spoons toward their mouths. Gloria was watching carefully.

Suddenly, a nearby window shattered. Three shuriken came flying right into the room. Kai, Toad, and Hazel dropped their spoons.

"What's going on?!" Kai exclaimed.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you," a familiar voice said from outside of the cabin.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Someone in a black coat was standing there. His face was covered with a hood.

"Who are you?!" Gloria shouted angrily. "Why have you invaded my home?!"

"You can stop the whole 'innocent act'," the man said. "This illusion of your won't fool me."

"Illusion?" Kai asked. "Just who are you?"

"I'm sure you'll recognize me," the man said.

He then removed the coat. Standing in front of them was Zero.

"Zero?!" Kai, Toad, and Hazel exclaimed.

"You guys have been fooled by this demon," Zero said. "And I can prove it. Check this out."

Zero pulled out a strange necklace.

"Where did you get that?!" Gloria shouted.

"This is the source of your illusion, right?" Zero asked. "Let's see what happens when I break this thing in half."

Zero then tossed the necklace into the air. He then drew one of his katana and sliced the necklace in half. A strange energy emitted from the broken necklace. The house began to disappear.

"What the heck?!" Kai exclaimed.

Gloria then began to change. Her skin became light blue and she grew horns on her head. Her face became demon-like. She had fangs instead of teeth, and her eyes were blood-red.

"WHOA!" Kai, Toad, and Hazel exclaimed.

"So you broke my illusion," Gloria said. "So what? I still have an advantage in the snow. You can't possibly handle two snow-demons."

"Two?" Kai asked.

The St. Bernard came out of nowhere. It began to change into a wolf-like form. It had navy blue fur and icicle teeth. It began to growl deeply.

"You three handle the dog," Zero said. "The demoness is mine."

"Ok," Kai replied.

The group then split up. Zero went face to face with Gloria. Gloria created icicles in her hand and began to throw them at Zero. Zero dodged these icicles and pulled out a few shuriken. He threw them and started to perform some hand-signs.

"**Shuriken Shadow-Clone Jutsu**!" Zero shouted as he finished his hand signs.

The shuriken multiplied until there were a couple dozen of them. Gloria created a wall of ice to absorb the shuriken. She then continued to throw icicles at Zero while he threw shuriken.

Meanwhile, Kai, Toad, and Hazel squared off against the wolf. Toad cast a **Fira** spell. The wolf howled and a strange energy froze the spell. It then began to chase them around the building.

Zero started to use new techniques. He mostly used fire-style jutsu, but they proved ineffective. He then drew his katanas and slashed at Gloria. He managed to slice her a few times. She would heal herself, however.

Zero then concentrated chakra into his sword. He sliced at Gloria, and she screamed in pain.

"It seems you're no ordinary ninja," Gloria hissed.

"So it took you this long to realize it, huh?" Zero said. "Get this straight before you die, I'm the Hidden Star villages number one ninja: Zero Tajiri!"

"I guess I'll have to use my full demon form on you," Gloria said.

Gloria then became enveloped in ice. When the ice shattered, she had become this extremely scary, demonic beast.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Zero asked. "If it was, you failed."

"You'll be scared once I rip you to shreds!" Gloria shouted.

She then lunged forward toward Zero, who drew his katanas.

Meanwhile, Kai, Toad, and Hazel were still being chased by the wolf.

"This is getting annoying!" Kai shouted.

He turned around and pulled a bomb-rock out of his bag.

"EAT THIS!!!" Kai shouted as he threw the rock.

The bomb-rock flew into the wolf's mouth. He then exploded into many icicles. The icicles then melted.

"Like I've always said: bomb-rocks can solve any problem," Kai said.

"What about Zero?" Hazel asked. "We have to help him!"

Zero blew the demon back with his katanas. He then sheathed his blades.

"This is getting annoying," Zero said. "It's time to finish this."

Kai, Toad, and Hazel ran out to watch the battle. They saw Zero bite the thumb of his right hand, which then began to bleed.

"Did he just bite his thumb?" Kai asked.

"Yep," Hazel answered.

"Why's he doing that?" Toad asked.

Gloria then rushed toward Zero. Zero started to make a new set of hand-signs. He was deep in thought as he did this. When he was done, he slammed his right hand on the ground.

"**Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu**!" Zero shouted.

A strange seal appeared beneath Zero's hand. A huge cloud of smoke rose from the seal. The smoke rose high into the air. When the smoke cleared, a large, white dragon was standing there with Zero on his head. Kai, Toad, and Hazel watched in awe at this sudden appearance by the dragon.

"So I'll finally get to fight," the white dragon said in a deep voice.

"This shouldn't be a problem," Zero said. "One technique should finish it."

"At least I'll get to warm-up a bit," the dragon said.

Gloria began to rush toward Zero and the dragon. Zero began to form some hand-signs while the dragon took a deep breath.

"**Fire Style: Flare Tempest Jutsu**!" Zero shouted as he finished his hand-signs.

The dragon released its breath and a large tornado shot out of its mouth. Zero then breathed fire into the tornado and lit it on fire. The blazing cyclone surrounded Gloria. The demon then dissolved in the flames.

"That was too easy," the dragon said.

He then looked toward Kai, Toad, and Hazel.

"Is that Kai Kamai?" the dragon asked.

"Yes," Zero answered.

"He doesn't look powerful," the dragon said.

"Trust me," Zero said. "He doesn't look strong, but looks aren't everything."

"True," the dragon said.

Then, in a puff of smoke, the dragon disappeared. Zero was standing exactly where it was. Kai, Toad, and Hazel ran up to him.

"That was amazing!" Kai exclaimed. "How did you do that?!"

"It's good to see you too," Zero said.

"How did you summon that dragon?!" Kai exclaimed.

"I bet I can explain," Hazel said. "I've been reading about ninja techniques. That was called the **Summoning Jutsu**. It allows the user to summon a creature from virtually anywhere."

"That's cool!" Kai exclaimed.

"But it's not easy," Zero said. "The **Summoning Jutsu** requires much more chakra and concentration than any normal jutsu. So using it in the heat of a battle isn't exactly easy. Plus, in order to summon the creature, you must first sign a contract in blood with the creature or creatures you are summoning. Then, in order to perform the **Summoning Jutsu**, you must sacrifice a bit of your own blood to summon. As you can tell, the technique is hard to master."

"Where did you learn it?" Kai asked. "From your sensei?"

"No," Zero said. "In fact, I learned it on my own."

"Explain," Hazel said.

"When I returned home from our last adventure, my sensei told me to go on a journey," Zero said. "As you know, I am an orphan…"

A flashback began. Zero returned home to Master Neo and Maria. He was talking to his sensei.

"Zero, it's time you learn more about your true parents," Neo said. "Your father was a great shinobi and one of my favorite students. You must go to Wyvern Mountain and learn your father's most powerful technique: The **Summoning Jutsu**.

"Once you have mastered the technique, you must travel deep within the Frost Valley and strengthen your body until you master it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sensei," Zero said.

"Good," Neo said. "I have prepared a boat for you. You will leave in the morning."

"Yes, sir," Zero said.

The flashback then ended.

"…and after I learned the technique, I started training on Mt. Icicle. I've been here ever since," Zero finished.

"Whoa," Kai said. "That's cool!"

"So you've been training the whole time?!" Toad exclaimed. "That's what I call dedication."

"I've been training for one reason: to be ready for our rematch, Kai," Zero said. "Since I'm sure you're on an adventure right now, our match will begin after you're done. How does that sound."

"I'll take you on anytime," Kai said. "But we first have to get the Chaos Emeralds."

"Chaos Emeralds?" Zero asked.

"Yep," Kai said. "In fact, one is on the mountain."

Toad checked the Chaos Radar. His eyes widened with shock.

"No, Kai," Toad said. "The Chaos Radar says that the Chaos Emerald is right in front of us."

"What are you talking about?!" Kai exclaimed. "We haven't even climbed…the mountain yet. Zero! You've been training on the mountain! Have you seen a large crystal that looks like this?"

Toad took out the Chaos Emerald.

"Yes," Zero said. "In fact, I have it right here."

Zero pulled out a Chaos Emerald.

"Yay!" Kai, Toad, and Hazel exclaimed. "That makes two!"

"I don't need it," Zero said as he tossed the Chaos Emerald toward Kai. "Why do you need it?"

Kai explained the whole story to Zero.

"That sounds exciting," Zero said.

"How about you join us, Zero?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah!" Kai exclaimed. "That new technique of yours could come in handy."

"Why not," Zero said. "I guess that fighting some evil king will be more training than I could ever get on this mountain."

"Alright!" Kai exclaimed. "The dream-team is back together! Let's go get the next emerald!"

Kai, Toad, Hazel, and Zero began to head back toward town. The party is now back together. What kind of adventures will they face on their journey? Will Zero's new techniques come in handy? Read to find out!


	18. Chapter 18: Life on the Farm

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 18: Life on the Farm**

Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel were walking down the path to their next location. The sun was starting to go down.

"It's getting late," Hazel said. "We'd be best to find a place to sleep."

"It's taking us too long to get where we need to go," Kai said. "We have to find a fast way to get from place to place."

"Let's worry about that later," Zero said. "For now, let's find a place to sleep."

"I think I see something ahead!" Toad exclaimed while pointing forward.

Ahead of them was a large farm. There were cows everywhere within the vicinity of the farm.

"Look at all of the cows!" Kai exclaimed.

"Maybe we can see if we can stay there for the night," Hazel said. "It'll be better than camping."

They walked toward the main building of the farm. They knocked on the door.

"Is anyone home?" Kai asked as he knocked.

The door then opened. Standing in the doorway was Malon.

"It can't be!" Malon exclaimed. "You guys!"

"It's Malon," Kai said.

After a few minutes, they were sitting at a table. Malon prepared dinner for them.

"What a strange coincidence, running into you four," Malon said. "I still remember when you helped my dad."

"I thought you guys were traveling around the world," Kai said.

"We found this place about a month after you helped us out," Malon said. "This was just the perfect patch of land for a farm. Plus, some old farmer sold it to us for a cheap price. So we took it. It's just perfect here."

"So where is Talon?" Hazel asked.

"He's tending to our Chocobos," Malon said.

"What are Chocobos?" Kai asked.

"Follow me and see," Malon said.

Malon led them to a large, red barn. Once inside, they saw Talon taking care of what looked like large, yellow birds that were about the size of humans.

"Whoa!" Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel exclaimed.

"Who's there?" Talon asked as he turned around.

He then saw Kai and his friends.

"Wow," Talon said. "It's been a while, my friends. How've you been?"

"We've been fine," Hazel said.

"Are these things 'Chocobos'?" Kai asked.

"Exactly," Talon said. "We've started raising a Chocobo ranch. These birds are quite beautiful creatures. They're the fastest runners in the world."

"That sounds cool!" Kai exclaimed.

"It does," Talon said. "But some Chocobos are just as stubborn as they are fast. They won't let just anyone ride them. The rider has to be extremely strong."

"Do you mind if we can see these things run?" Hazel asked. "I'm quite curious."

"No problem," Talon said. "Malon, we should race each other."

"Fine, daddy," Malon cheerfully said. "We'll race in the morning."

The following morning, two Chocobos were lined up against one end of the ranch. They were standing right in front of a fence. On the other side of the ranch, which was about several acres away, was another fence.

Talon and Malon were next to the Chocobos. Talon's was the normal color, while Malon's was pink.

"I guess that there's more than one color of Chocobo," Kai said.

"Yep," Talon said. "But besides color, Chocobos are all the same. It all goes down to their breeding and raising."

"So how should we do this?" Malon asked.

"First to the other fence and back wins," Talon said.

"Fine," Malon said. "Let's go, dad!"

"Ms. Hazel, do you mind doing the count-down?" Talon asked.

"No problem," Hazel answered. "3…2…1…GO!"

Just as Hazel shouted "Go", the Chocobos shot toward the other side like rockets. The Chocobos were so fast that the dirt rose into clouds behind them. Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel felt their jaws drop.

"Awesome!" Kai shouted.

The two Chocobos were neck-to-neck. Once they reached the other side, however, Malon's Chocobo turned sharper than Talon's, so it moved into the lead.

They both reached the end. Malon's Chocobo reached the finish about one second faster than Talon's.

"It looks like I win!" Malon exclaimed.

"Oh well," Talon said. "I guess my Chocobo needs to be raised more."

Later that evening, Malon prepared dinner for all of them. Kai happily consumed several plates of food. During the dinner, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Talon said.

Talon walked over to the phone. After a minute of talking, Talon hung up and walked over to the table.

"Bad news," Talon said. "Tomorrow, I have to make a long delivery, so I won't be able to help out on the farm."

"I can't do everything by myself!" Malon exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"Maybe we can help," Kai said. "I'd like to get to know the Chocobos a bit more!"

"That'd be great!" Malon happily exclaimed. "What do you think, daddy?"

"If ya'll are sure," Talon said. "Then I'll have Malon teach you how to do the chores tomorrow. I'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Alright," Malon said. "As soon as dinner's done, it's off to bed."

"What?!" Toad exclaimed.

He looked out of a window. The sun was just setting.

"It's not even dark out!" Toad exclaimed.

"You'll be thankful for the sleep in the morning," Malon said.

After dinner, they all went off to bed. Kai, Toad, and Zero slept in one room, Talon slept in another, and Malon and Hazel slept in the last one. Eventually, while it was still dark, Talon came into Kai's room with a cuccoo in his hands.

The cuccoo then let out a cock-a-doodle-doo so loud, that Kai fell out of his bed, screaming.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Kai shouted. "What's with the chicken!"

"I've found that cuccoo are the best creatures for waking people up," Talon said. "It's time for chores."

Zero and Toad were slowly getting up.

"What time is it?" Toad asked sleepily.

Kai looked toward an alarm clock. It was 4:30 a.m.

"It's only 4:30!" Kai shouted.

"Early to bed, early to rise," Talon said. "We always to chores this early in the morning. So, get dressed. I've already woken up Malon and Hazel.

"Did you use the stupid chicken?" Kai asked angrily.

Talon ignored this question. After a few minutes, Kai, Toad, and Zero walked outside. Malon and Hazel were waiting for them. Talon then rode up with a wagon on a horse. The wagon was filled with Lon Lon Milk.

"I need to use the horses for this delivery," Talon said. "They may be slower, but they won't shake the wagon as much. I should be back by tomorrow afternoon. You'll only have to do chores until then. Malon, show them the ropes. See ya'll later."

Talon then rode out of the ranch.

"You heard him," Malon said. "I'll tell ya'll what you have to do. Toad and Hazel, you have to milk the cows. Zero, you gather the eggs from the cuccoos. Kai, you and I will clean the Chocobo barn."

"Alright," Toad said. "How do we milk cows?"

"And how do I get the eggs?" Zero asked.

"There are instructions within each of the barns," Malon answered. "I set them up last night before I went to bed. Kai, I'll just show you how to clean up. Let's go!"

They each separated into their groups. Hazel and Toad were in a barn with two cows in it.

"Alright," Toad said. "Where do we get the milk?"

"According to the instructions, we just have to squeeze and pull the udders," Hazel said.

Toad looked down.

"I'm not touching that," Toad said.

"Don't be a baby," Hazel replied. "They aren't going to hurt you."

Hazel put a bucket under a cow. She then grabbed the udders. Finally, she squeezed and pulled. The milk shot into her face. She stood up and was drenched with milk. Toad began to snicker.

"Laugh and you die," Hazel said.

Zero then walked in. He had a basket of eggs in his arm. He looked toward Hazel.

"Why is she covered in milk?" Zero asked.

"Don't ask," Hazel said.

"How did you get done so fast?!" Toad exclaimed.

"It was simple," Zero replied.

A flashback began. Zero entered the chicken coop. There were about one hundred cuccoos in there.

"This will take too long," Zero said.

He then began to charge his chakra. He then performed the **Shadow Clone Jutsu**. He multiplied into twenty Zeros. Each of the Zero's rushed to the cuccoos. As they passed by, the cuccoos squawked with surprise. After passing by each of the cuccoos, the twenty Zero's put all of the eggs into one basket. Nineteen of the Zeros disappeared.

"Thank you very much, ladies," Zero said. "These eggs should last Talon and Malon several weeks."

The flashback ended.

"That makes it too easy!" Hazel shouted.

"Yeah!" Toad shouted. "You should at least help us now!"

"No problem," Zero said. "All you do is squeeze and pull."

Zero then squatted down beside the cow. He then squeezed and pulled the cow's udders. The milk shot into the bucket. He eventually had a full bucket. He then stood up.

"That's how you do it," Zero said. "Now we have five more buckets to go. I'll let you two handle them. I'm going to meditate."

Zero then walked out of the barn. Hazel then squatted down beside the cow. She put a bucket under the cow's udder and started to milk it again. Once again, she squirted herself with the milk. Toad began to laugh as Hazel stood up. She then took out her hammer.

"Crud," Toad said.

Meanwhile, Kai and Malon were cleaning up the Chocobo stables. They used brooms to sweep away the dung. Kai had nose plugs on while he was doing this.

"You get used to the smell," Malon said.

Eventually, they cleaned all but one stable. The stable was locked with several locks.

"What's in here?" Kai asked.

"That's Kage," Malon said. "He's the roughest Chocobo of the bunch. We keep him locked up that tightly or else he'll rampage the farm."

"How do we clean it, then?" Kai asked.

"We have to distract him with food," Malon said.

She then looked in a bucket that was nearby. It only had crumbs in it.

"Not good!" Malon shouted. "The bucket is empty!"

"I doubt he's as bad as you make him sound," Kai said. "Give me the keys."

"It's your funeral," Malon said as she handed Kai the keys to the locks.

Kai then unlocked each of the locks. He then walked inside. It was a large room. In the center was a black Chocobo, which was Kage.

"Hello, little guy," Kai said. "I'm just going to clean up this stable so you don't have to step on feces."

Kai then got closer to Kage. It then opened its eyes and glared at Kai. It had red eyes. It then let out an earth-shaking squawk, and Kai jumped back. Kage began to chase Kai around the room. Kai then began to run toward the door.

"CLOSE THE DOOR!!!" Kai shouted.

Kai ran outside. He and Malon then tried to shut the door. Kage then pounded the door with its beak. The door eventually burst open. Kage then rushed right out of the stables.

"At least we can clean the room now," Kai said.

"We have to get Kage back in there!" Malon shouted. "Who knows what could happen if we don't?!"

"I'll take on the chicken, you clean the stable," Kai said.

Kai then ran outside. Kage rampaged the whole ranch. Hazel, Toad, and Zero ran out to see what the commotion was. Hazel was still drenched with milk. Kai then met up with them.

"What's going on?" Toad asked.

"A Chocobo with an attitude problem got loose, and…why is Hazel covered with milk?" Kai asked.

"Long story," Hazel said. "Right now, we have to stop that thing."

"Maybe we can trap that thing in a net," Zero said. "I happen to have one with me."

"Let's give it a shot," Hazel said.

They then set up a trap. They set the net between two buildings.

"Now we need someone to lead Kage here," Zero said.

They all looked toward Kai.

"Fine," Kai said. "I'll do it."

Kai then ran toward Kage. Kage saw him and turned around. It began to chase him. Kai screamed in terror as Kage chased after him. Kai led him toward the net.

"Here they come!" Zero shouted. "Toad, let the net down as soon as I give you the signal."

"Right," Toad said.

Kai and Kage got closer and closer. Toad's nose then twitched. He slowly began to sneeze. When he sneezed, the net fell down. Instead of catching Kage, Toad caught Kai.

"Why am I in the net?!" Kai shouted as he struggled to get out.

Kage saw the net and ran in the opposite direction. After a minute, they got Kai out of the net.

"That didn't work," Zero said. "Anyone else have an idea?"

"I remember reading something in Mythology class," Kai said. "It's about a bull-man named the Minotaur that rampaged on an island."

"How did they stop it?" Hazel asked.

"They stuck him in a large maze," Kai said. "He got so lost that he never got out."

"By the time we set up a maze large enough to hold that thing, it will have leveled about a dozen cities," Toad said.

"Right," Kai said. "What do we do, then?"

"I can try my barrier," Hazel said.

"Alright," Kai said. "Give it a shot."

Hazel then ran in front of Kage. She used her **Barrier** spell and surrounded Kage with a transparent wall. Kage then began to pound on the wall. Hazel was struggling to keep the barrier up. Eventually, the barrier shouted and Hazel fell over. Kage got angry and charged for Hazel.

"HAZEL!!!" Kai shouted as he ran forward.

He grabbed Hazel and pulled her out of Kage's path.

"Thanks, Kai," Hazel said when she was sure that it was safe.

"No problem," Kai said. "What do we do now?"

"I've heard that music can soothe the savage beast," Toad said. "Kai, you can play the ocarina."

"That's right!" Kai shouted. "What should I play, thought?"

"Try playing **Zelda's Lullaby**," Toad said.

"Ok," Kai said.

Kai then got in front of Kage and took out his ocarina. He then began to play **Zelda's Lullaby**. Kage began to calm down.

"It worked!" Zero, Toad, and Hazel shouted.

Kai eventually ran out of breath. Kage then became enraged again and knocked Kai backwards.

"Now…I'm…mad," Kai said.

He put away the ocarina. He then jumped onto Kage's back.

"What's he doing?!" Hazel shouted.

Kage ran back and forth as he tried to knock Kai off. Kai could barely hang on as Kage ran at a blinding speed. Kage jumped over several fences and through several buildings in an attempt to throw Kai off of his back. Kai eventually tired Kage out. Kage fell to the ground. Kai then stood up.

"I did it!" Kai shouted. "I beat Kage!"

"We still need to trap it," Zero said.

"No," Kai replied. "It's calm now. I don't think we need to trap it now."

Kage then stood up. It turned to face Kai.

"When will it end?!" Hazel exclaimed.

Kage didn't move. It just stared at Kai. Kai stared back at Kage, being careful not to blink. Kage then bowed its head down.

"What's going on?" Toad asked.

Malon walked toward them. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kai petting Kage on the head.

"I've never seen Kage let anyone pet it!" Malon exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Zero asked.

"Well, Chocobos are proud creatures," Malon said. "They won't let just anybody ride it. Only if it deems you worthy will it let you be its rider."

"So Kage is letting Kai be its rider?" Hazel asked.

"As far as I can tell, yes," Malon said. "And that's good. Kage is the fastest Chocobo on the ranch, albeit a stubborn one."

"Cool!" Kai shouted. "Let's ride around, Kage."

Kage squawked in agreement. Kai then hopped onto Kage. Kage then rushed around the ranch. Kai felt at ease as he was riding Kage this time. He felt like he was in absolute control. Kai could control where Kage would turn. He eventually stopped right in front of Hazel, Toad, Zero, and Malon.

"That's impressive!" Malon shouted. "Not only did you tame Kage, you rode him like you've been riding for years!"

"Amazing!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Kai, how would you like to keep Kage?" Malon asked.

"How would we keep it?" Hazel asked. "Carrying around a large bird won't be easy."

"You can summon Kage from here using this," Malon answered.

Malon pulled out a small pendant. It was pink.

"This is a Chocobo summoning charm," Malon said. "This particular one is for my Chocobo. I can give you Kage's summoning charm if you want."

"Cool!" Kai shouted.

"And I can give you three summoning charms as well," Malon said. "They'll be for three calmer Chocobos. I'll let you pick them out."

"Thanks!" they all exclaimed.

They ate a delicious dinner that night. Then they spent the following morning doing the morning chores, which were easier because they knew how to do it. That afternoon, Talon returned home. He was surprised to see Kai racing Malon using Kage. Malon then explained the previous day to him.

"So Kai is the new owner of Kage," Talon said. "Alright. Kai, we'll take care of Kage as well as your friends' Chocobos until you need them. Just summon them using the charms whenever you need them."

"Alright," Kai said. "Thanks, Talon."

Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel then used their summoning charms to summon their Chocobos just outside of the ranch. They then rode their Chocobos to their next location.

"We'll get to the next Emerald in no time!" Kai exclaimed as they rode. "Kage, let's go!"

Kage squawked in excitement as he and Kai rushed quickly ahead. Hazel, Zero, and Toad attempted to keep up.


	19. Chapter 19: The Delfigalo Express

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 19: The Delfigalo Express**

As the whistle blew and the steam rose high into the air, the many men, women, and children boarded the old-fashioned steam engine, the Delfigalo Express. Some of the children had never seen a train like this and were extremely excited.

The conductor of this train was a young man named Marvin. He was a twenty-year-old man with short, blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore the standard conductor's uniform: a pair of blue pants, a matching blue shirt, and a blue hat. He also kept a gold watch in his pocket, which he checked periodically to make sure the train left on time.

For as long as Marvin has been conductor of the train, the Delfigalo Express has always been on time. Marvin had a strong record of being on time, no matter what he did. He believed that being punctual was extremely important.

On this particular day, Kai and his friends boarded the train. They paid for their tickets and got on the train thirty minutes before the train was supposed to leave. They found some good seats in the center car and sat down.

"So why are we riding this train?" Kai asked. "The Chocobos are much faster."

"Let me explain," Hazel said. "The Chaos Emerald is located in Dry Dry Outpost, which is in the middle of the Dry Dry Desert. They only way to get to the Dry Dry Desert is to climb over Mt. Rugged. And the only way to reach Mt. Rugged is to ride the Delfigalo Express. Do you understand?"

"Yep," Kai answered. "I just hope that this train ride is exciting. I slept the last time we rode a train and missed everything."

Meanwhile, Marvin was checking his golden watch. It was 2:58. The train was set to leave at 3:00.

"Just two minutes to go," Marvin thought. "I better get the train started."

Marvin began to head for the train's engine.

"Wait!" a young woman's voice shouted.

Marvin turned around to see where the voice came from. A young woman with red hair, green eyes, and a long green dress was running straight toward him. Before he knew it, she had grabbed him and held on tightly.

"Please don't start the train yet!" she cried. "Please!"

"Lady, get off of me!" Marvin shouted as he struggled to get loose.

The woman didn't let go. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him so he wouldn't escape. While she did this, she kept crying for him not to start the train yet. Kai and Toad, who were closest to their window, looked out to see what was happening.

"What the heck are they doing?!" Toad shouted. "The train's about to start, and the conductor is making out!"

"It looks more like the girl's trying to strangle him," Kai replied.

The woman continued to hang on to him. After a while, a dark-haired young man in a red shirt and blue jeans ran up to them. When the woman saw him, a smile appeared on her face and she let go of the conductor.

"Jonathan, you made it!" the woman shouted.

She hugged Jonathan tightly.

"It doesn't matter now," Melissa said. "Let's just get on the train, Johnny."

Melissa and Jonathan then boarded the train. Marvin stood up and took out his watch. It was 3:02.

"NO!!!" Marvin shouted. "We're two minutes late! We have to get this train moving now or we won't make it to Mt. Rugged on time!"

Marvin nearly tripped as he rushed to the train's engine. A minute after he got on the train, the train started to move.

"Now that we've started moving, maybe we'll get some peace and quiet," Zero said. "I think I'll meditate."

Zero then closed his eyes and started to meditate. After a few minutes, Toad looked behind his chair. He saw Jonathan and Melissa making out.

"They could've avoided all of that commotion if they just got on the train on time," Toad said.

Toad then looked a bit further back. He saw a black-haired woman in a blue dress. She was glaring at Jonathan and Melissa. Toad then jerked back into his seat.

"That woman's scary," Toad said.

"How scary?" Kai asked. "Boo scary or bride-of-the-Lord-of-Darkness scary?"

"The second one," Toad answered.

"Yikes!" Kai exclaimed.

Toad then stood up.

"I'm going to the diner car to get a snack," Toad said. "I'll bring you back something."

Toad then walked off. With Zero basically asleep and Toad gone, Kai and Hazel were alone. This rarely happened, and, for some reason, Kai couldn't find anything to say.

"So…um…Hazel," Kai began.

"Yeah?" Hazel asked.

Kai and Hazel slowly leaned closer together. Soon, their heads were almost touching.

"Are you two gonna kiss?" a little girl's voice asked.

Kai and Hazel jumped back to their original spots when they heard this. They saw a little girl about four-years-old with blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a navy dress.

"It must be true because you're blushing," the little girl said.

Kai and Hazel looked at each other. Sure enough, they were both blushing brightly.

Two other girls then ran next to the first one. They all looked alike, only they had different colored dresses. One had a purple dress and the other wore a dark-green dress. One would guess that they were triplets.

"Wow!" the girl in purple exclaimed.

"I wonder what a kiss is like," the girl in green said.

"Let's watch and find out!" the girl in navy exclaimed.

"Girls, leave those two alone!" a woman's voice bellowed.

There was a bond-haired, blue-eyed pregnant woman in a red dress standing there. By the looks of things, the woman could have her baby any day now.

"Yes, mother," the three girls said in unison as they walked away.

"I'm sorry that they bothered you," the woman said. "Little girls don't know better."

The woman then walked off. Kai and Hazel were still blushing. Toad then came back with three plates of strawberry cakes.

"I brought you guys some cake," Toad said. "What did I miss?"

After a while, they finished their cakes. Zero was still meditating.

"This train ride is kinda boring," Kai said.

Just then, Toad saw the dark-haired woman from earlier pass by them. She probably went to the bathroom. She walked up to Jonathan and Melissa.

"Ch...Cha…Charlotte!" Jonathan shouted. "What are you doing here!"

"How dare you have an affair with that woman!" Charlotte shouted. "I'll kill you, Jonathan!"

Charlotte then took out a pistol and pointed it and Jonathan and Melissa.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte!" Jonathan begged. "This woman means nothing to me! Please forgive me!"

"What?!" Melissa shouted.

"I'm not sure that I can forgive you, Jonathan," Charlotte said. "But I might if you promise not to do this to me ever again."

"Yes my loving, **forgiving** wife," Jonathan said.

Charlotte dropped the gun, and she and Jonathan walked off. Melissa was dumbstruck from what just happened.

"Whoa," Toad said in awe. "So that guy was having an affair!"

"That guy's a jerk!" Hazel shouted. "How dare he toy with two women's hearts like that?!"

"Some men are just jerks," Kai said.

Melissa then ran past their seats. She was bawling.

"I feel kinda bad for her," Hazel said.

Melissa was bawling in the bathroom. Soon, she stopped crying. She stood up and faced the mirror.

"I…I can't think of life with…without Jonathan," Melissa cried. "I…I'll just…kill myself."

Melissa then pulled out the gun. She had picked it up after Charlotte dropped it.

"As…as soon as the train stops, I'll kill myself," Melissa said.

Melissa then returned to her seat.

"At least she's not crying anymore," Kai said.

Just then, a policeman walked to Kai's seat.

"What can I do for you, officer?" Kai asked.

"I want to know if you travelers have seen this man," the officer said. "Here's his picture."

The officer then took out a wanted poster. It showed a bald guy with a scar straight down his right eye. Below the picture was his name, Bruno.

"We haven't seen him yet," Hazel said. "But we'll inform you if we do."

"Thank you," the officer said. "Also, do you know where the diner car is? I want to get some of that strawberry cake."

"It's that way," Toad said as he pointed toward where he walked to earlier.

"Thank you, sir," the officer said as he walked off.

"I wonder if we'll see that guy," Kai said.

After a few minutes, Kai stood up.

"I'm going to walk around the train for a while," Kai said. "My legs are falling asleep."

Kai then began to head toward the front. Suddenly, the door burst open. Bruno was standing there. He had a pistol in his hands. The picture from earlier didn't show his body, but Bruno had the build of a football star.

"Nobody move!" Bruno shouted. "This is a stick-up! If you call the cops, you die!"

Kai knew that he'd be best to wait. Bruno then walked forward. Soon, his back was toward Kai.

"This is it," Kai thought. "I'll cast a **Fire** spell and knock him out."

He then saw that he had Melissa in his grip. He was pointing the pistol toward her. Kai realized that he'd better not risk casting a spell.

"Ya'll better bring out your cash, or the girl gets it!" Bruno shouted. "You have one minute to decide!"

"Oh just kill me already!" Melissa shouted as she pulled the gun closer to her head.

She cried for Bruno to kill her as he struggled to pull the gun back to him.

"What are you doing, lady?!" Bruno shouted. "Don't throw your life away!"

"Just kill me!!!" Melissa shouted.

Suddenly, someone began to groan in pain. It was the pregnant woman.

"Mother!" the triplets shouted. "What's wrong?!"

"It's time!" the woman cried. "The baby's coming!"

Marvin then ran into the car to see what the commotion was. He was surprised at what he saw.

"What's going on?!" Marvin shouted.

"A criminal came in and threatened to kill a suicidal nut, and a pregnant woman is about to have her baby," Kai answered.

"What?!" Marvin shouted. "Is there a doctor in the house!"

Kai then ran up to Hazel.

"Have you read any medical books, Hazel?" Kai asked.

"Yes, but…" Hazel began.

"Here's a doctor!" Kai shouted.

"What?!" Hazel exclaimed.

The triplets then ran up to her.

"Please!" girl in navy shouted. "You must save my momma!"

"Fine," Hazel said. "I'm sure I know something."

Hazel then ran to examine the woman.

"Conductor, I need you to stop the train," Hazel said.

"What?!" Marvin shouted. "We can't stop the train for anything!"

"Then slow it down!" Hazel shouted. "The lives of both the baby and the mother are at stake!"

The woman groaned louder. Marvin then ran to the front.

"Kai, I need you to get a towel," Hazel said. "Toad, get me some hot water and a bucket."

"Yes, ma'am!" Kai and Toad said together.

They then ran off.

"Bruno, put down the girl down," Hazel said. "I can't have anything distracting me!"

"I'm giving the orders here!" Bruno shouted.

Bruno then pointed his pistol at Hazel.

"I don't give a flying leap about what happens to that woman!" Bruno shouted. "I just want everyone's mon…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because something hit him in the back of the head and knocked him out. Zero had punched the guy in the head. He seemed stressed for some reason.

"I meditate for one train ride and all hell breaks out!" Zero shouted. "Lady, don't throw your life away just because one guy left you! There are more guys out there!"

"S…sure," Melissa said out of fear.

"Idiot!" Zero shouted as he pointed toward Jonathan. "If you ever cross my path again while cheating on your wife, I'll finish you off right there!"

Jonathan was too scared to move.

"Hazel, what do you need me to do?" Zero asked.

"You've done enough," Hazel said. "But maybe you could check on the conductor."

"No problem," Zero said.

Zero then headed for the front. The train slowed down. Kai and Toad came back with the towel and hot water. Hazel then began to operate on the woman.

"I'm sorry we don't have any pain-killers," Hazel said. "I'll do whatever I can to reduce the pain."

After a couple of hours, Hazel was done. The baby was born. Hazel was wrapping it in a towel.

"It's a boy," Hazel said. "Congratulations."

"We have a brother!" the triplets shouted in glee as Hazel handed the baby to his mother.

"Wow," Kai said. "Child-birth is kinda gross."

"What would you like to name your baby?" Hazel asked.

The mother turned to face Zero.

"What's your name, young man?" the mother asked.

"Zero," Zero answered.

"Then it's settled," the mother said. "For knocking out that fugitive, helping that poor young woman, and helping with my baby, I'll name my new son Zero."

"Yay!" the triplets shouted. "Hello, baby Zero."

Soon, the train reached its destination. Everyone got off. Marvin was staring at his watch. They were two minutes behind schedule.

"Two minutes late," Marvin groaned. "If only those things didn't happen."

The police officer walked off with Bruno tied up. Kai then walked up to Marvin.

"That was a kind thing that you did," Kai said. "You could've just kept the train going, but you helped that mother out."

"It's no problem," Marvin said. "I guess a perfect record isn't everything."

Kai then rejoined his friends and walked off.

Marvin then looked at his watch again.

"I'll just have to make it two minutes early on the next one to make up for this one," Marvin thought as he put his watch away.

He then walked toward the engine. The sun was setting, so Kai and his friends would have to find a place to sleep for the night. After an adventure like that, sleep would be wonderful.


	20. Chapter 20: The Thieves of Sand

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 20: The Thieves of Sand**

After a night's rest at a local inn, Kai and his friends began to climb Mt. Rugged. After they hiked for about half-an-hour, a blue, mole-like thing rose from the ground.

"Who are you?" Kai asked.

"My name's Whacka," the mole said. "I live here on this mountain. It's strange to see travelers here."

"Why?" Hazel asked.

"I heard a rumor that some thieves are stealing things from travelers who come to the desert," Whacka answered. "I don't know if it's true, but you might want to be careful."

"Thanks," Kai said.

"Good luck," Whacka replied.

He then burrowed back into the ground. Kai and his friends then continued across Mt. Rugged. Eventually, they reached the Dry Dry Desert, which was on the other side of the mountain. Almost immediately after stepping on the desert's sands, it felt like they were in a furnace.

"We'd probably should be best to leave the Chocobos at the ranch," Zero said. "We don't want them to be stolen."

"Right," everyone else agreed.

So they began their trek across the desert. The desert seemed to last forever. After a while, they took a break

"How…much…longer…Toad?" Kai panted.

"I'll check," Toad replied.

Toad then pulled out the Chaos Radar. A puzzled look appeared on his face.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

"The Chaos Emerald is moving," Toad answered. "It's extremely close. In fact, it's just ahead of us."

They all looked ahead. They saw a strange cloud of sand moving toward them.

"Crap!" Kai shouted. "Dust storm!"

"No," Zero said. "Look."

They all looked closer at the cloud. It was being created by many people riding Chocobos. There were about 40 men and women riding toward them.

Soon, these men and women completely surrounded them. They all were wearing desert clothes. Most of them had their faces covered. The closest one to them was a large, bald, black man.

"These must be the thieves," Zero whispered.

"Let's just stand here and wait," Hazel said.

"Travelers!" the large man bellowed. "We are the infamous Thieves of Sand! Surrender your jewels and valuables or pay the price."

"Four against forty," Kai said. "I like those odds."

"So be it," the man said. "Let's get them!"

Then most of the thieves charged straight for them.

"Zero, you know what to do," Hazel said.

"Right," Zero replied as he began to form hand-signs.

After he finished his hand-signs, a large cloud of sand surrounded them. The thieves were trying to find them within the cloud, but it was impossible. Zero and Kai moved quickly through the cloud and slashed the thieves. Toad managed to blast some with spells, while Hazel hit any that got too close with her hammer and **Gyro Sphere**. Soon, the cloud disappeared. All but five of the thieves had fallen; the large man had survived. The large man stood there, awe-struck.

"Is that all you've got?" Kai asked.

"How can four random travelers take down an army of thieves?" the large man thought.

"Alright, guys!" Toad exclaimed. "Let's go get…"

Toad passed out and fell on the ground. There was a thin needle in the back of his right arm.

"What the?!" Kai exclaimed.

Just then, Kai, Zero, and Hazel were all hit in the arms with needles as well. They all fell over. Kai's body went numb, his energy was drained, and everything was blurry. Kai managed to see their attacker. It was a young woman about Kai's age. Her face was covered, so Kai couldn't see anything else. Plus, she was extremely blurry.

"Jaramillo, explain to me why most of my men are dead," the woman said.

"Well…milady…I…" Jaramillo said.

"Save the excuses," the woman continued. "I want you all to search these travelers for anything rare."

"Yes ma'am," the five thieves replied.

They all began to search Kai, Toad, Hazel, and Zero. They took all of their gold.

"Lady Serena!" one of the thieves called. "I found something!"

"What is it?" the woman asked.

"It's a large gem and a radar!" the thief answered.

"No," Kai thought.

He had dug a Chaos Emerald and the Chaos Radar from Toad's pockets.

Serena ran up to the thief. She then examined the Chaos Emerald.

"This is exactly what we're looking for!" Serena exclaimed. "Everyone pull out!"

"Should we steal anything else?" Jaramillo asked.

"No," Serena answered. "We can't carry anything else. Plus, we have to carry these dead bodies. I'll summon some Chocobos and have them carry our fallen warriors."

Kai didn't see or hear anything after that because he passed out. When he awoke, he found that the thieves were all gone. Kai slowly got up and dug in his pockets. All that was missing was his gold.

Kai then woke everyone else up, who did the same thing he did.

"So what exactly hit us?" Hazel asked. "I couldn't see anything."

"I lasted long enough," Kai said. "I'll tell you what I saw."

Kai then explained what happened to Hazel, Toad, and Zero.

"The Chaos Emeralds are gone?!" Hazel shouted.

"Yep," Kai said.

"We have no emeralds and no radar!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Not exactly," Toad said. "We still have one emerald."

"What do you mean?" Zero asked. "You checked your pockets. They were empty except for your summoning charm."

"Exactly," Toad said as he dug out his summoning charm.

He then summoned his Chocobo. There was a strange, red and white bag strapped around the Chocobo's neck. Toad pulled off the bag, dug in it, and pulled out a Chaos Emerald and a bunch of gold.

"Whoa!" Kai exclaimed.

"This is a special bag only made in the Mushroom Kingdom," Toad said. "Toadsworth gave it to me before we left. It has unlimited space within it, so it can hold anything that can fit within the bag's opening. I put the Chaos Emerald and half of our gold in it, and sent the bag, as well as a note explaining the bag, to Talon and Malon."

"Toad, you're a genius!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Thanks," Toad said. "Let's get going. It should be safe to use the Chocobos now, right?"

"It should be," Zero said. "I doubt that the thieves have realized what they took, so we should be safe."

Kai, Zero, and Hazel then summoned their Chocobos. They all then continued through the desert on their Chocobos. Eventually, they reached an oasis. In the trees were lemons and limes. They used a pool of water in the oasis to fill their canteens and allowed the Chocobos to drink. Kai took some lemons from a lemon tree and stuffed them in his bag.

They then continued through the desert. After about ten minutes, they reached a town. It was filled with Mushroom people wearing desert clothes.

"I never knew that there was a town of Mushroom people in the Delfigalo continent," Toad said.

"Let's refill our supplies and find some info on the Thieves of Sand," Zero said.

They sent their Chocobos back to the ranch, and began to gather information in town. They then met up at a tavern.

"Did you find anything?" Kai asked.

"I've got nothing," Zero said.

"I didn't find anything," Hazel said.

"I might have," Toad said.

They all turned to face him.

"I heard about some guy named Sheek who has information on anything," Toad continued. "If we find him, we'll probably get information on the thieves."

"You're on a roll today, Toad," Kai said. "Let's find this guy."

They then asked around for where Sheek was. They eventually found a normadimouse in a brown cloak at the edge of town.

"Yes, I am Sheek," the normadimouse said when Kai asked if he was him. "I'll give you any information if you're 'nice' enough."

Hazel understood what this meant. She turned to Kai, Toad, and Zero.

"What do you think he'll want?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know," Toad said.

"Do you think he likes lemons?" Kai asked. "I have a bunch of them."

"Fine," Hazel said. "Give him a lemon."

They then turned back to Sheek. Kai pulled out a lemon and handed it to him. Sheek's eyes widened.

"OH MY GOD!!!" Sheek shouted. "It's my favorite fruit! You really are nice people! I'll give you any info you want!"

"Can you tell us about the Thieves of Sand?" Hazel asked.

"I do not know much about them," Sheek said. "But one man does. His name is Moustafa. He was a friend of the first leader of the Thieves of Sand. Only the shopkeeper knows where Moustafa is, but he won't give that info unless you buy items in a certain order."

"What's the order?" Hazel asked.

"You must buy a Dried Shroom and a Dusty Hammer," Sheek answered.

"Thank you," Kai said. "Let's go!"

They all then began to head for the town's shop. Once inside, they found that another normadimouse was running the shop. They then walked up to the shopkeeper.

"What would you like?" the shopkeeper asked.

"A Dried Shroom and a Dusty Hammer," Hazel answered.

The shopkeeper's eyes widened. He then looked around to see if anyone else was listening.

"So you're in Master Moustafa's inner-circle," the shopkeeper whispered.

"Yep," Kai lied. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"I have heard that he lives on the roofs of town," the shopkeeper whispered. "That's where you'll find his hut."

"Cool," Kai said. "Thanks."

They all then ran out of the shop. They found a way to climb to the roofs of the town. They eventually found a small hut on the roof of a building at the edge of town. They knocked on the door.

"Come in," a familiar voice said.

Kai opened the door and they walked in. Sheek was standing in the middle of the hut.

"Sheek?" Kai asked. "Why are you here? Where's Moustafa?"

"Don't you get it, Kai?" Zero asked. "He is Moustafa!"

"You are correct," Sheek said. "I am the mighty Moustafa."

He then removed his cloak. He was a green normadimouse.

"Because you guys are nice, I'll give you every information you'll need on the Thieves of Sand," Moustafa said. "But why do you need it?"

Kai then explained everything to Moustafa.

"Alright," Moustafa said. "Here's a detailed map of the desert."

Moustafa then pulled out an old map. He handed it to Hazel. She opened it and found a detailed map of the desert that revealed the location of the hideout of the Thieves of Sand.

"Once you reach that location, you must say a password to open the door," Moustafa said. "The password is 'Open Sesame'!"

"Seriously?!" Kai exclaimed.

"Yep," Moustafa said. "I am the friend of the old leader of the Thieves of Sand."

"Do you mean that young girl with the needles?" Kai asked.

"Serena?" Moustafa said. "No. I meant her father."

"Father?!" Kai, Toad, Hazel, and Zero exclaimed.

"Yes," Moustafa said. "Her father, Ali, was their leader. He was my closest friend."

"What happened to him?" Kai asked.

"He died of sickness," Moustafa answered. "Thus his daughter took over. Ever since she took over, the Thieves of Sands have been attacking more often to find something. I just don't know what."

"They must be looking for the Chaos Emeralds!" Kai exclaimed.

"What makes you say that?" Toad asked.

"Almost every single enemy we've faced recently has wanted the Chaos Emeralds for their own reasons," Kai answered.

"True," Hazel said.

"I wish you four good luck in retrieving your emerald," Moustafa said. "Just be careful. The thieves in there are no pushovers."

"Thank you," Zero said. "Let's get moving."

They then rush out of the building. Moustafa looked at an old picture. It showed a younger Moustafa, a muscular man with an x-shaped scar on his right hand, and a little girl with short, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a serious look on her face.

Meanwhile, the Thieves of Sand had returned to their secret hideout. Serena ran to her own room. In it were a bed, a dresser, a mirror, and a bag of needles. On the mirror was the same picture that Moustafa had in his hut.

Serena took the veil off of her face. She looked like an older version of the girl in the picture. She still had short, blonde hair as before. Serena then walked over to the mirror and looked at the picture.

"Father," Serena thought. "I'll fulfill your dream and gather the seven Chaos Emeralds."

She then took out the Chaos Emerald and the Chaos Radar she stole and put them on the dresser.


	21. Chapter 21: Storming the Lair

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 21: Storming the Lair**

Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel rode their Chocobos to the designated point shown on the map. As they rode, the sand blew in their faces. Eventually, they reached the point on the map. There was nothing in the area except a strange, blue cactus.

"Say the password," Hazel said.

"Right," Kai said.

Kai then stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"**OPEN SESAME**!!!" Kai shouted.

His shout echoed through the desert. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to quake. The sand also began to shift, and a small patch of earth was splitting in half. Soon the shaking stopped, and a large staircase heading underground was visible.

"Cool," Kai said.

"Let's go," Zero said. "We still have to get that emerald."

They rushed down the staircase. They stopped right before they hit the bottom. Zero turned to face the rest of the group.

"We have to use stealth here," Zero whispered. "Right now, we have the element of surprise. As long as we don't give out our location at any given time, we should be able to sneak to the emerald without having to waste our energy."

"Right," everyone else agreed.

Zero looked in the hallway to which the staircase led. To the right was an extremely long hallway. To the left was a hallway that led to a door guarded by ten thieves.

"The right probably leads to a dead-end," Zero said. "The left is guarded by ten thieves, which means that the emerald is that way. So what's the plan?"

"I've got one," Hazel said.

She whispered the plan to the rest of the group. After a minute, Kai threw a bomb-rock as far as he could down the right hallway without being noticed. The rock exploded, and all ten of the guards ran down the right hallway. Kai and his friends took this opportunity to head to the left and enter the door. The door led to another hallway.

Meanwhile, Serena was looking at the Chaos Radar.

"Whoever those travelers from earlier were, they sure weren't ordinary," Serena thought. "They were not only carrying a Chaos Emerald, but they had this strange device with them. If I can figure out how it works…"

A loud banging came from her door.

"Milady!" Jaramillo's voice shouted from the other side. "We have an emergency!"

Serena quickly hid the radar and the Chaos Emerald. She then opened the door. Jaramillo was on the other side and was covered in sweat.

"What is it?" Serena asked.

"The men we stationed at the entrance saw a strange explosion down the hallway to the right of the staircase," Jaramillo answered. "They checked it out and didn't find anyone."

Serena thought about what Jaramillo had just said.

"Just how many guards left their post?" Serena asked.

"All ten of them, ma'am," Jaramillo answered.

"WHAT?!" Serena exclaimed. "Those idiots! The explosion was a diversion! Someone got past them!"

"How's that possible?" Jaramillo asked. "No one knows the location of this place, let alone the password needed to get in."

"One man does," Serena corrected him. "Moustafa must've been bribed to give away our location. Post 40 men in the main room immediately! Tell them to attack any unfamiliar people. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Jaramillo answered immediately.

He then rushed out of the room.

"We haven't had an intruder since my dad was in charge," Serena thought. "This could get interesting."

Kai and his friends eventually reached the main room. Unfortunately, all forty guards spotted them.

"So much for the element of surprise," Toad said.

The guards then charged straight for them. Kai and Zero easily defeated all forty of the guards with no problem. Zero then picked one of them up by the collar of his shirt.

"Where is the emerald that you stole from us?" Zero asked. "Give me a good answer, and you'll live. Give me a bad answer, and you'll be on the wrong end of a kunai knife. Do you understand?"

Zero intimidation worked. This guard was shuddering like crazy. He pointed to a door that was straight ahead.

"Thank you," Zero said calmly.

Zero then dropped this guard, who immediately ran away. Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel then ran through the door that the guard pointed out.

Meanwhile, Serena was sitting in her room. She was deep in thought. A flashback began.

A kid Serena walked up to her father, Ali.

"Father," Serena said.

"What is it?" Ali asked.

"Why did you decide to become a thief?" Serena asked.

"I thought you'd ask me that," Ali said. "Sit in my lap."

Ali sat in a chair, and Serena sat in his lap.

"Have you ever heard of the Chaos Emeralds?" Ali asked his daughter.

"No," Serena answered.

"The Chaos Emeralds are beautiful gems with extreme power," Ali explained. "If someone truly evil gets their hands on the Chaos Emeralds, they could destroy the world. I became a thief so I could steal the emeralds and make sure that no one can misuse their power."

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed.

Ali then placed his hand on Serena's head.

"I want you to promise me something," Ali said. "If I am to ever die, I want you to find all seven of the Chaos Emeralds."

"What do they look like?" Serena asked.

"You'll know when you see them," Ali answered. "Trust me."

"Ok," Serena said. "You can count on me!"

The flashback then ended. Serena was staring at the picture of her dad, Moustafa, and herself.

"I'll keep my promise, father," Serena thought. "I won't let anyone get their hands on this emerald."

"Lady Serena!" a voice shouted from a nearby radio.

Serena picked up the radio.

"What is it?" Serena asked.

"There are four intruders!" the guard shouted. "There is a swordsman with a bandana, an aggressive ninja, a mushroom person, and some chick in a white dress!"

Serena then realized who the intruders were.

"Alright," Serena said into the radio. "I want you to radio the Triad and tell them to prepare for our intruders."

"The Triad?!" the guard exclaimed. "Are you sure? They'll destroy them!"

"We must protect our treasure no matter what," Serena said. "If the intruders must die, so be it."

"Yes ma'am!" the guard shouted.

Serena then turned off the radio.

"Our intruders are about to see the true power of the Thieves of Sand," Serena thought. "Besides Jaramillo and myself, the members of the Triad are the most powerful members in our group. Those intruders are done for."

Meanwhile, Kai, Toad, Hazel, and Zero were continuing down the path. Eventually they reached a wall with a single door. The door had a fire-shaped emblem carved in the door.

"I smell a trap," Toad said.

"Only one thing to do," Kai said.

Kai opened the door. Inside were two steel bridges that met at a large steel platform that was in a large room. One of the bridges was in front of them, and the other led to another door. Beneath the platform and the bridge was a boiling pool of lava.

"I wouldn't want to fall down there," Kai said.

They crossed the first bridge and stepped onto the platform. Almost one second later, both doors locked themselves.

"I knew it!" Toad exclaimed.

Suddenly, what looked like a boulder fell from the sky. Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel jumped out of the way. When it hit the platform, Kai knew exactly what it was because he had met one before. It was a Goron. The Goron stood up. He was huge and had bands on his arms.

"I am Magnus!" the Goron bellowed. "I will be your opponent."

"Bring it on!" Kai shouted.

Kai began to draw his sword, but Hazel stopped him.

"Let me take him," Hazel said. "With my defensive capabilities, I'll give you guys a chance to spot his weak points."

"Fine," Kai said.

Kai, Toad, and Zero stepped back onto the bridge, and Hazel stepped toward Magnus.

"Just because you're a woman, that doesn't mean I won't slaughter you," Magnus said.

"Bring it on," Hazel said.

On the ceiling, a video camera was catching everything. In a living room, twenty thieves were resting watching the fight.

"We're taking all bets!" a thief in a green beret shouted. "Magnus vs. the girl! Winner doubles their wages!"

"Magnus will win no problem," another thief said. "I bet 50 gold pieces on Magnus."

"I bet 100 on Magnus," another said.

Everyone began betting on Magnus. Soon, only one was left. She was a bat-girl. She wore a black suit and had a pink heart over her chest.

"What do you bet, Rouge?" the thief in a green beret asked.

"I bet 1500 on the girl," Rouge answered.

Everyone stared at her as if she said she was god.

"Are you sure?" one of the thieves asked.

"Of course," Rouge said. "I always keep my bets."

Meanwhile, the battle between Hazel and Magnus began. Magnus threw punch after punch at Hazel. Hazel tried to fight back with her hammer, but she couldn't put a scratch on Magnus's thick armor plating.

"I guess I'll try this," Hazel said as she jumped back.

Hazel then charged up her **Gyro Sphere** spell. She then charged forward to hit Magnus. When Magnus saw this, he curled into a ball. When Hazel's spell hit, Magnus began to spin. The faster Hazel's spell spun, the faster Magnus spun. Eventually, Magnus spun so fast that Hazel was blown backwards. Luckily, she caught herself right before she went over the edge.

"That was close," Hazel thought. "**Gyro Sphere**'s completely useless against this guy! I guess I'll have to try something else."

Magnus began to roll toward Hazel. Hazel jumped forward and used her **Barrier** spell. When Magnus stopped spinning, Hazel released the spell. Magnus then began to punch at Hazel. Hazel dodged each punch, making sure she stayed near the center of the platform.

Eventually, Magnus began to roll at Hazel again. Hazel used her **Barrier** spell again and blocked the roll. Then Magnus began punching again. This pattern continued over and over. Eventually, Hazel was getting tired.

Magnus spun one more time. Hazel blocked it with her barrier one more time, but eventually the barrier cracked.

"No!" Hazel thought.

The barrier broke. Hazel was blown back toward the edge. This time, however, she couldn't stop herself.

"No!" Toad shouted.

"Hazel!!!" Kai screamed.

Hazel moved so fast that she fell over the edge. She began to fall. The boiling lava was waiting for her at the bottom.


	22. Chapter 22: Trouble Triad

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 22: Trouble Triad**

Hazel fell faster and faster toward the boiling pit below her. Soon, out of instinct, Hazel held her palms straight down toward the lava. She then began to focus magical energy into her hands. Her energy glowed with a white light.

"**Holy**!" Hazel shouted.

The energy shaped itself into a beam that shot from her hands. The force of the beam shot Hazel upwards, and Hazel landed on the platform.

"That was close," Kai said.

"But now Hazel has little energy to use," Zero replied. "That spell used too much magical power."

Hazel was breathing hard from exhaustion. By the look of things, she was barely standing.

"I've probably got enough energy for one more spell," Hazel thought. "I better make it count. **Barrier**'s useless, and **Gyro Sphere** just makes him spin fast enough to…wait!"

Hazel got into a fighting stance.

"You can't win!" Magnus shouted as he charged forward.

When Magnus was close enough, Hazel jumped onto his shoulders. She then bounced even higher. While in the air, she charged up her **Gyro Sphere**. She then began to descend toward Magnus.

"I'll just repel your spell," Magnus said.

Magnus curled up into a bell. Hazel then slammed her spell onto Magnus, who began to spin. Because of how fast Hazel's spell was spinning, Hazel was held into the air. Hazel carefully watched Magnus as he spun faster and faster.

Eventually, Hazel noticed a strange energy forming around Magnus.

"Now!" Hazel shouted as she released the spell.

Hazel did a few flips as she moved out of the way. The energy that Magnus absorbed sent him flying upwards. As he shot upwards, he uncurled himself. His body slammed in the ceiling, leaving a large mark. He then fell back toward the platform. Hazel drew her hammer and slammed it into Magnus's stomach when he got close enough.

Magnus coughed up blood from this hit and fell onto the platform. He had passed out, and a key fell to his side.

"She won!" Toad shouted in glee.

Hazel picked up the key. Kai, Toad, and Zero then ran to her. Hazel fell over from exhaustion, and Toad and Zero lifted her up. Kai saw the camera on the ceiling.

"Victory!" Kai exclaimed as he struck a victory pose.

He held his right index and middle fingers in a "v" toward the camera. The thieves in the living room were watching the whole fight. They were awe-struck.

"She beat Magnus!" one thief shouted.

"How's that possible?!" another asked. "Magnus's hard-as-steel body should've blocked her attacks."

"I just lost 300 gold pieces!" a third whined.

"But Rouge just gained 1500 more gold pieces!" a fourth one exclaimed.

The thief in the green beret looked toward the screen. Kai and his friends reached the second door. This door was like the previous one, but, instead of a flame, it had an emblem of a frog carved into it.

Kai opened this door. This room was a large, circular room with spikes protruding from the walls. On the other side was another door. They stepped further into the room, and both doors locked.

"I won't be able to fight anymore," Hazel said. "I'm too drained."

"No problem," Kai said. "I'll…"

"Wait!" Toad interrupted. "I'll fight next. If my hunch is right, there will be tougher enemies ahead. You and Zero need to be at full strength in order to fight."

"Fine," Kai said. "But I better get at least one fight in before the day's over!"

Toad then stepped forward. The whole room began to rumble. Soon, in a flash of green light, a gigantic frog-man appeared in front of them. He was about twice as high as Toad, and about three times as wide.

"It looks like you're fighting a real toad," Kai said.

"I am Kawazu!" the frog-man bellowed. "You got past Magnus, but he was a wimp! You stand no chance against me!"

Back in the living room, the thief in the green beret was taking wagers again.

"Second round: Kawazu vs. the mushroom kid!" he shouted. "Who will win this fight?!"

"Kawazu is definitely far stronger than Magnus," one thief said. "I bet 600 gold pieces on Kawazu."

"Same here!" another shouted.

The thieves continued to vote. All but Rouge had voted, and they all voted for Kawazu.

"What do you say this time, Rouge?" the thief in the green beret asked.

"I bet 3500 gold pieces on the intruders," Rouge answered.

The thieves were surprised once again, but Rouge stuck to her wager. She was absolutely sure that Kawazu would be beaten.

Back in the arena, Toad was face-to-face with the larger-than-life Kawazu.

"Prepare to become my next meal!" Kawazu shouted. "I have a sudden craving for cooked mushrooms!"

"Well you're just gonna have to starve, froggy!" Toad shouted.

Toad charged up his **Fira** spell. He then threw it toward Kawazu. The spell hit, but it did no damage. In fact, it looked like Kawazu was stronger.

"What?!" Toad exclaimed.

"My turn!" Kawazu shouted.

He took in a deep breath. Kawazu then shot out energy balls from his mouth. Toad managed to dodge each of these blasts. The blasts managed to carve holes in the ground.

"Destructive frog spit," Kai said. "Now I've seen everything."

Toad used his **Blizzara** spell. He hoped that this would produce better results than **Fira**. Unfortunately, Kawazu was still unhurt. His stomach seemed to have grown. Toad then tried a **Thundara **spell. This also didn't work. Kawazu then continued to fire energy blasts at Toad. The strange thing was that the energy blasts seemed stronger.

"Why is that guy getting stronger?" Toad thought.

"You're probably wondering why your puny little spells aren't doing anything," Kawazu said. "I'll give you the answer. I have the ability to absorb magical energy. When I absorb energy, I get stronger. So the more you attack, the stronger I'll grow!"

Kawazu then laughed triumphantly.

"That sucks!" Kai exclaimed. "Toad's main power comes from his spells."

"He should switch with one of us," Zero said.

"No!" Toad shouted. "I'm not backing down! This is my fight!"

"Fine," Kai said.

Toad kept dodging Kawazu's attack while trying to find out his weakness. As Toad used more spells, Kawazu grew larger and stronger.

"He's like a balloon for magic," Toad thought. "I'll eventually run out of magic if I'm not careful."

Suddenly, inspiration struck Toad. He began to blast Kawazu with more spells. Kawazu grew larger and larger as Toad used more spells.

"I'm getting full," Kawazu said. "I won't have room to eat you. I guess I'll just have to kill you and save the meat for later."

"Here's a tip about eating!" Toad shouted. "Don't overeat, or you'll burst!"

Toad charged an **Ultima** spell. He launched it, and it hit Kawazu. A large explosion grew from the point of contact. Kawazu absorbed all of the energy from the explosion. Soon, he grew so big that he was on the verge of bursting.

Kawazu then screamed with pain and blew up. Green, purple, and red goop flew everywhere. Zero got out of the way just before it flew in their direction. Kai was covered in goop.

"EWW!" Kai shouted. "Frog guts!"

"At least you don't have long hair to clean," Hazel said.

"True," Kai said. "Let's take a break and clean this stuff off. I feel all sticky."

Toad, who was completely covered in goop, wobbled over to Kai, Hazel, and Zero.

"I agree," Toad said. "I don't think I'll be battling again for a while. I'm out of energy."

"Ok," Kai said. "Now we have to find the key to the next room."

Toad pulled out a key covered in blue goop.

"I think he ate it earlier," Toad said. "When he blew up, it hit me in the head."

"We have to keep going," Zero said. "We'll worry about washing off later."

They all then proceeded through the next room. The thieves were still watching them from the living room.

"That means Rouge now has gained 5000 more gold pieces," one thief said. "I hope you can pay that."

The thief in the green beret was watching the screen.

"Though they may be tough, they still can't beat the last member of the Triad, can they?" the thief in the green beret thought.

Meanwhile, Kai's group reached the next room. On the door, there was an emblem of a raindrop. They opened the door. The room was basically a large pool of water. There were only three small patches of land within the pool.

"So who's up for a swimming competition?" Kai asked jokingly.

Almost immediately after Kai said that, something began to rise from the water. A Zora with an x-shaped scar on its right shoulder rose from the water. He had a shark-fin shaped blade on its back.

"So we have to deal with a fish in water," Toad said.

"This is the first time anyone's made it this far," the Zora said. "I'm impressed. But don't think that I'll be as easy as my acquaintances. I am Aquos, strongest of the Triad. Who has the confidence to face my skills?"

"Let me guess," Kai said. "You want to fight him, don't you Zero?"

"Of course," Zero said. "This will be interesting. Plus, I don't have to worry about the watery field as much as you do. Watch."

Zero then stepped forward. He began to walk on top of the water as if he was on solid ground. Zero walked up to his opponent, who was also standing on water.

"So what, you have the power of Jesus now?!" Kai asked. "What can't ninjas do?!"

Meanwhile, the thieves in the living room were watching this match.

"Alright," the thief in the green beret said. "Next bet. Mysterious Ninja vs. the leader of the Triad, Aquos. Taking all bets!"

"Aquos is definitely strong, but I'm afraid to gamble," one thief said. "I've already lost 2000 gold pieces."

"You are such a coward," another thief said. "I bet 1000 gold pieces on Aquos."

The thieves began to bet one-by-one on their choice. Of course, they all voted for Aquos. Soon, only Rouge was left.

"What's your wager, Rouge?" the thief in the green beret asked.

"I bet 10,000 gold pieces on the intruders," Rouge calmly answered.

Everyone looked more shocked than before.

"10,000 gold pieces?!" a thief exclaimed. "That's enough money to buy food for a whole town! Does she really have that much money?!"

Others began to react in the same way. Meanwhile, Zero and Aquos faced each other.

"You are a shinobi, am I correct?" Aquos said.

"Yes," Zero answered.

"This should be challenging then," Aquos continued as he drew his blade.

Zero then drew his katanas. They just stood there, facing each other. Soon, a large drop of water formed on the ceiling. It was slowly growing until it dropped. Soon, it fell toward the water. As soon as the drop hit the pool, Zero and Aquos charged forward and clashed their blades together.

They jumped back. Zero then drew some shuriken and threw them forward. At the same time, Aquos threw some seashells like shuriken. The two sets of attacks collided.

"He uses seashells to attack?" Kai asked.

"Apparently," Hazel replied.

Zero and Aquos continually attacked each other with their blades. Eventually, Zero jumped into the air and began to form hand-signs. He performed the **Shadow-Clone Jutsu**. Zero created four clones. The five Zeros fell toward Aquos.

Aquos began to form some hand-signs.

"What?!" Zero thought.

"**Water Style: Water-Clone Jutsu**!" Aquos shouted.

Four pillars of water rose from the water until they were the size of Aquos. The water pillars each turned into an Aquos.

The Zeros clashed blades with the Aquoses. Soon, all of the clones disappeared.

"So you study ninjutsu as well," Zero said.

"That's right," Aquos said. "Unlike most Zora, I was born in the Village Hidden in the Mist. There, I was taught the most advanced jutsu of my village. But I soon became bored, so I became a rouge ninja and joined this crew. I think I'm about as strong as the Mizukage."

"I knew I should've recognized your name," Zero said. "You happened to be listed in the Bingo Book."

"Bingo Book?" Kai asked.

"It happens to be a list of the most dangerous shinobi in the world," Hazel answered immediately. "I happened to take a peek into it once."

"Was Zero in there?" Kai asked. "If you wake him up while he's meditating, he's pretty dangerous."

"It's time I reveal some of the jutsu I have learned over the years," Aquos said as he began to form hand-signs.

He eventually finished. He then shouted "**Water Style: Torrential Burst Jutsu**". A giant pillar of water rose from the pool. Aquos then controlled the direction of the pillar until it shot toward Zero. Zero managed to dodge the pillar, but a sharp pain came into Zero's right leg. He noticed that there were small cuts all along his leg.

"So you've noticed," Aquos said. "That's the secret to this jutsu. You can dodge it, but the little drops of water that rise from the spinning pillar are sharp enough to cut through steel. You won't last long if you don't fight back."

"You asked for it!" Zero shouted.

Zero began to form some hand-signs. He then used the **Fireball Jutsu**. Aquos sliced the fireball in half with his sword. He then began to blast Zero with small bursts of water. Zero luckily dodged each of these blasts. When the blasts hit the walls, deep holes appeared where the water hit.

Soon, Zero was getting tired from dodging and retaliating.

"Damn," Zero thought. "I'm too tired to keep dodging. I'll have to attack eventually."

"Now I'll defeat you with my own original technique," Aquos said.

Aquos then dove into the water. Soon, Zero noticed that the water began to spin where Aquos dove in. He then swam swiftly toward Zero. The water whipped and spun wherever Aquos swam.

"That's it," Zero thought.

He then began to form some hand-signs. He finished, but nothing happened. It was as if Zero was holding his jutsu back. Eventually, Aquos was nearly right in front of Zero. Aquos began to rise up, but he was stuck. A ball of water completely engulfed Aquos.

"What's going on?!" Aquos shouted.

Aquos slashed at his spherical prison, but nothing happened. He noticed that Zero had his right hand over the ball.

"**Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu**," Zero answered. "You shouldn't have fallen for a trick that came from your village. Now I'll show you a trick that my sensei taught me."

Zero formed a hand-sign with his left hand. The water in the sphere began to spin faster and faster. Aquos was at mercy to the raging whirlpool in his prison.

"**Water Style: Water Torture Jutsu**," Zero said.

Soon, the whirlpool spun so fast that it broke the prison. Aquos was forced straight into a nearby wall. His body dug an extremely deep hole in the wall. A key fell from the hole into the pool.

"Nice job, Zero!" Kai shouted.

Zero formed another hand-sign. A tiny pillar of water rose from the water with the key on top of it. Zero grabbed the key and walked over to Kai.

"I think I overdid it on the jutsu," Zero said. "Since Toad, Hazel, and I are too exhausted to battle, you get whatever fights are left, Kai."

"Yay!" Kai shouted. "Let's get going!"

Kai tried to walk on water like Zero did, but remembered that he couldn't do it. Kai sank like a sack of rocks. He then rose back up.

"Thank goodness for swimming lessons," Kai said. "Let's go."

Kai led the way as the group swam toward the door. Meanwhile, the thieves watched from the living room.

"Impossible!" the thief in the green beret thought while sweating bullets. "They got past the Triad, and they still have someone at full strength. But can they get past Jaramillo and Lady Serena? I sure hope not."

"I think you owe me 10,000 gold pieces!" Rouge shouted from behind him.

"Damn," the thief in the green beret thought. "I was hoping she'd forget."

Meanwhile, Lady Serena was looking at the picture in her room. A tear appeared in her right eye.

A flashback begun. She was about thirteen-years-old at this time. She was crying over her sick father as he was lying in bed. He was coughing up blood.

"Serena," her father said weakly. "I'm not long for this world. I have only one regret: that I've never gathered the Chaos Emeralds."

"Father!" Serena shouted tearfully. "You're not going to die! You still have a chance!"

"Serena," her father continued. "I give leadership of the Thieves of Sand to you. Please gather the Chaos Emeralds for me. This…is…my…dying…wish."

His eyes closed and his body went limp. Serena cried louder. The flashback then ended. A loud banging came from Serena's door.

"Lady Serena!" Jaramillo's voice shouted from the other side. "The Triad have been defeated!"

"What?!" Serena shouted. "Impossible! Come in here!"

Serena opened the door and Jaramillo burst in.

"What should we do?!" Jaramillo asked shakily.

"They must be tired," Serena suggested. "Jaramillo, you will fight them. Don't worry, though. If you ever get to a point where you can't fight anymore, I'll take over. We'll defeat them."

Jaramillo looked closely at Serena.

"Were…were you crying, Lady Serena?" Jaramillo asked.

"What?!" Serena asked surprised. "Of course not! Now get moving!"

Jaramillo then rushed out of there. Serena looked back toward the picture as soon as she was sure that Jaramillo was gone.


	23. Chapter 23: Kai's Battles

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 23: Kai's Battles**

Kai and his friends continued down the path. They eventually reached a large room. In this room were a throne, a large pile of gold, and two doors on the other side of the room, one to the right of the throne and one to the left.

"I guess being a thief pays off sometimes," Toad said.

"Maybe the emerald's in that gold pile," Kai suggested.

"You might be…" Zero began.

The door to the right burst open, and twelve thieves entered the room.

"Damn," Zero said. "This was a trap."

"So the emerald must not be in here," Hazel said.

"Kai, we have enough strength to take these buffoons down," Toad said. "You go through that other door and find our emerald and radar."

"Right," Kai said.

Kai then ran through the unopened door. Hazel, Toad, and Zero began to fight off the twelve thieves that confronted them.

Kai ran down a long hallway. It seemed that the hallway would take forever. Soon, however, he reached a large door. Above the door was a portrait of Serena's father.

"I hope this is it," Kai thought.

Kai then opened the door. When it opened, he found that the room was a large arena. There were weapons in various places along the wall. On the other end of the arena was another door. Kai stepped forward, and the door behind him closed and locked itself.

"If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is," Kai said.

Soon, the door on the other end opened. Jaramillo walked inside. He was brandishing a large axe about his own size, but he held it like it was as light as a normal axe.

"You've surprised me, swordsman," Jaramillo said. "You and your little friends made it this far. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Kai Kamai," Kai replied. "Remember it."

"Fine," Jaramillo said. "I'll remember to write that on your grave!"

Jaramillo then swung his axe once. On the ceiling was a camera that was watching everything. Back in the living room, the thieves were watching the match.

"Next bet!" the thief in the green beret shouted. "Jaramillo vs. Mystery Swordsman, Kai Kamai! Who will win?!"

"This Kai fellow is much smaller than Jaramillo," one thief said. "Plus, he's up against an axe that could smash him into pieces. I say that Jaramillo will win."

"True," another thief replied. "I bet on Jaramillo too. He's much stronger than the Triad."

Every thief in the room began to vote. Everyone, that is, except Rouge. They had all voted for Jaramillo.

"So what's your vote, Rouge?" the thief in the green beret asked.

"I bet 33,000 gold pieces on Kai," Rouge answered.

"33,000 gold pieces?!" some thieves exclaimed. "That's impossible!"

"Nobody except a rich man could have that much cash to spend!" one thief exclaimed. "I wonder if our hat-wearing friend can even pay that much?"

Back in the arena, Kai faced off Jaramillo. Jaramillo charged forward and swung his giant axe vertically. Kai narrowly avoided the attack by jumping to the right. Jaramillo then swung his axe horizontally. Kai then dropped to the ground to avoid the attack.

"You won't be able to dodge my axe forever!" Jaramillo shouted.

Jaramillo continued to swing his axe at Kai. As the swings came, Kai managed to jump out of the way. After a while, Kai was growing tired.

"If this keeps up, I'll be sliced in half!" Kai thought.

Jaramillo then swung his axe at Kai vertically. Kai managed to dodge this attack as well. He then saw Jaramillo as he slowly prepared his axe for another swing.

"Wait," Kai thought. "I've figured it out!"

Kai then jumped backwards.

"Come back here!" Jaramillo shouted.

"I've figured you out," Kai said. "My first counter will finish this match."

"Try saying that when you're split in two!" Jaramillo shouted as he rushed forward.

Jaramillo held his axe on his left side. He then swung his axe horizontally, but Kai was ready this time. Kai jumped into the air right after the swing began. Kai then slashed downward toward Jaramillo. For a few seconds, it seemed like Kai's slash did nothing. Then, Jaramillo's axe split in two pieces. Jaramillo then fell over.

"How did you do that?" Jaramillo asked weakly.

"Your axe could only swing in two directions: horizontally and vertically," Kai said. "Once I figured that out, it was easy to dodge your attack. One slash from my sword was enough to finish you off."

"I underestimated you," Jaramillo said. "If we fight again, I won't make that same mistake."

Jaramillo then passed out. Kai then sat down. He was breathing extremely hard and was soaked with sweat.

"I wish I figured that trick out earlier," Kai panted. "I'm pooped."

Kai then dug in his backpack. He pulled out half of a mushroom.

"It's not much, but it'll have to do," Kai thought.

Kai then ate it. A small bit of energy managed to return to him, but it wasn't enough to last him for long.

"I guess I should start looking for that emerald," Kai said as he stood up.

Three needles then hit the ground right in front of him.

"Whoa!" Kai shouted.

Kai then looked toward where the needles came from. Serena was standing there.

"You're quite the fighter," Serena said. "I know why you're here."

Serena pulled out the Chaos Emerald and the Chaos Radar.

"Give that stuff back!" Kai shouted.

"If you want them, you'll have to defeat me," Serena replied as she put away the emerald and the radar.

Meanwhile, the thieves watching the match were staring straight at the screen.

"He beat Jaramillo, but now he's up against Serena!" one thief shouted.

"I heard that Lady Serena always fights to the death," another thief said. "She'll crush that swordsman."

Rouge walked up to the thief in the green beret.

"So how about we make this game fun," Rouge said. "We'll make this bet double or nothing. I'll bet on Kai. If he falls, I'll give you double the money that I won. But if I win, you have to double my winnings. How does that sound?"

He thought about this deal for a minute. If Serena won, which was likely to happen, he would become a very rich man. But what if Serena lost?

Back in the arena, Serena pulled out a pair of knives. Kai drew his sword out.

"I'd better watch out for those needles," Kai thought. "One hit from those, and I'm done for."

Serena charged forward toward Kai. She sliced down with her knives, which Kai blocked with his sword. She then spun completely around and hit Kai on his right side with a roundhouse kick. Kai was forced to the left because of the force of Serena's attack. Almost immediately after Kai regained his posture, Serena appeared right behind him. She sliced Kai in the back with her knives. She then kicked him hard enough to send Kai flying toward the wall.

She then jumped into the air and pulled out five needles. She threw the needles toward Kai as he flew closer and closer toward the wall. The needles hit him as soon as he hit the wall. Serena then landed on her feet. She had hit her mark.

"This fight is over," Serena said. "Those needles were covered in my special poison. You won't be able to move for…"

Kai was charging straight toward her. Once he was close enough, he slashed her with his sword. Serena hit the wall behind her. She stood up and looked toward Kai. He still had the five needles in his left arm.

"How can you be moving?!" Serena shouted. "Those needles made a direct hit on you."

"I don't really know," Kai answered as he pulled out the needles. "But it felt like I was taking five flu shots."

"Impossible," Serena thought. "Last time I hit him with that poison, he collapsed. Could he have developed an immunity to the poison?!"

While Serena was thinking this, Kai had gotten right in front of her. Serena had just enough time to lift her knives in a defensive position before Kai slashed his blade toward her. She was blown far backwards by Kai's strike.

"I guess I'll just have to use poison #2," Serena thought as she caught herself.

Serena pulled out a few more needles and threw them toward Kai. These needles hit Kai in his left leg.

"Little pokes aren't gonna hurt me," Kai said.

Kai's left leg gave out. He fell to the ground. When he tried to stand up, he realized that his left leg wouldn't move.

"That's my second poison, **Paralysis Poison**," Serena said. "I don't like to use this except for special cases. The moment this poison hits your vital points, you're dead."

Serena threw a few more needles. Kai's reflexes caused him to automatically raise his arms to block the needles. The needles stuck in his right arm, which then went limp. Some more needles then flew toward Kai and hit his left arm, which also went limp.

"With only your right leg, you won't be able to block my next attack," Serena said.

Serena then threw a few more needles.

"She's right," Kai thought. "At this rate, I'm gonna die!"

The word "die" echoed in his mind. A fire began to burn within Kai. He felt a large burst of energy flow through him. Meanwhile, the needles came closer and closer. Right before the needles hit, however, a pair of white wings made of pure energy sprouted from Kai's back and blocked the attack.

"What?!" Serena shouted.

Kai regained feeling in his arms and left leg. He then stood up. Serena just stood there, awe-struck. Kai took this opportunity to attack. In a blink of an eye, Kai appeared right behind Serena. He slashed her with his blade. She was forced forward. Kai flew straight behind her. He then slashed her with his sword again, sending her flying in a different direction. He kept this up until she shot up into the air.

Kai flew into the air and charged a white magical energy into his sword. Once he was above her, Kai attacked Serena with his **Dragon Claw**. When Serena hit the ground, the impact formed a large crater in the ground. Kai then slowly began to descend. He landed right next to the crater. Serena was helplessly lying there.

"What are you waiting for?" Serena asked. "Finish me!"

"That's not my style," Kai said as he withdrew his blade.

Kai then jumped down into the crater. He pulled the Chaos Radar and Chaos Emerald from Serena's pocket. Serena was just staring at him as he did this.

"Just why are you after the Chaos Emeralds?" Serena asked weakly. "What do you intend to use them for?"

"I don't really want to use them," Kai answered. "I just don't want their power to fall in the wrong hands."

When Serena heard this, her eyes widened. As she watched Kai, she imagined her late father. She then passed out. Kai put the Chaos Emerald and the Chaos Radar in his backpack. He then pulled Serena out of the crater and placed her next to Jaramillo. He then headed toward the room where his friends were waiting for him.

When Kai entered this room, he found that his friends had already knocked out and tied up the thieves that attacked them earlier.

"Was it really that easy?" Kai asked.

"How did you do?" Zero asked.

"Check this out," Kai answered as he dug out the Chaos Emerald and Chaos Radar.

"You did it!" Hazel happily exclaimed.

"Let's get moving," Kai said. "We've got more emeralds to find!"

They began to leave, but Kai stopped. He looked back toward the door leading to the arena.

Meanwhile, the thieves just sat and stared at the television screen. Rouge walked up to the thief in the green beret.

"I hope you can pay me soon," Rouge said. "I'll take cash or check."

Rouge then laughed triumphantly as she left the room.

After a few hours, Serena woke up. She found herself in Moustafa's home. Jaramillo was lying down in a bed next to hers. She sat straight up. She found that she was bandaged up.

"Why am I…" Serena thought.

"Welcome, Lady Serena," a familiar voice said.

Serena looked in the direction in which the voice came from. Moustafa was standing there.

"Moustafa!" Serena shouted.

"Don't worry," Moustafa said. "You won't be hurt. In fact, you were brought here to be healed."

"By who?" Serena asked.

"The young swordsman sleeping in the next room," Moustafa answered. "He and his friends brought you and Jaramillo here in the middle of the night. You had a few fractures in your right arm, but I fixed that up quickly."

"Wait," Serena said. "Did you say 'swordsman'?"

"Why yes," Moustafa answered.

Serena hopped out of bed. She then rushed to the next room. She found Kai and his friends sleeping.

"They were extremely tired by the time they got here," Moustafa said. "They practically fell asleep the moment they got here."

Serena just stood there. She then turned toward Moustafa.

"Moustafa, take care of Jaramillo," Serena said. "I have a few things to get back at the base."

"Sure," Moustafa said.

It seemed that he knew exactly what Serena was thinking.

About five hours later, Kai and his friends were at the train station, waiting for the train to arrive.

"Why did you help that girl?" Hazel asked.

"I couldn't just leave her there," Kai said. "She was hurt."

"She was our enemy, though," Toad said.

"No," Kai said. "Zant is our enemy. Eggman is our enemy. She wasn't our enemy. We just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"That's your typical 'Kai' response," Zero said. "You're always hopelessly giddy."

Kai ignored this comment. His stomach began to growl.

"I'm hungry," Kai said. "Let's get something to eat."

"We do have an hour until the train arrives," Hazel said. "That's a good idea! Toad, get out the money."

Toad then dug in his backpack for his gold sack. But he couldn't find it.

"Our money is missing!" Toad shouted.

"What?!" Kai exclaimed.

Suddenly, a bag of gold fell at Kai's feet. They looked toward where the gold came from. Serena was standing there.

"Hey there," Serena said.

"NO REMATCH! NO REMATCH!!!" Kai shouted fearfully.

"I'm not here for a rematch," Serena said. "I thought I'd join your little team."

They noticed that Serena had a backpack on.

"Why do you want to join us?" Zero asked.

"This could be the chance of a lifetime to score some treasures," Serena said. "I think that joining some adventurers could help me get rich. Oh, and I've already paid for my train ticket. So don't worry about that. So let's go get something to eat. There's a nice barbecue place around here."

Serena began to walk off.

"I guess we just got a new ally," Hazel said.

"Yep," Kai said.

Toad looked in his gold sack.

"We're missing some gold!" Toad shouted.

"How much?" Kai asked.

"Just enough to purchase…a train ticket," Toad answered.

Toad then angrily began to chase Serena, who just laughed.

So, whether they like it or not, Kai and his friends just gained a new companion. Will having a thief on their side prove to be a good thing? Who knows?


	24. Chapter 24: Serena and her father

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 24: Serena and her father**

"Seven orders of barbecue pork!" the waiter shouted.

"Over here!" Kai shouted from his table.

The waiter set the seven plates of barbecue pork on the table where Kai and his friends were sitting. Three of the plates went to Kai.

"Why did you order so much?" Hazel asked.

"I'm hungry," Kai said. "Plus, we rarely eat at a restaurant. I want to get as much as possible."

Kai began to eat. Hazel was about to start, but she saw that Toad was glaring at Serena.

"Would you just let it go, Toad?" Hazel asked. "It's not like she stole everything from you."

"But she should've at least asked me for gold!" Toad shouted.

"I'm a thief," Serena said. "I don't ask."

"It's behind us now," Zero said. "Let's just eat already."

"She can at least pay me back!" Toad shouted.

"That ain't happening, polka dot-head," Serena said.

Toad slammed his hands on the table.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Toad shouted.

"Maybe that giant mushroom is covering your ears," Serena said.

"That's it!" Toad shouted.

Toad scooped up a piece of his barbecue pork. He then threw it toward Serena, who dodged it. The pork hit this large man who was sitting at another table. The large man, who didn't know who threw the pork, tossed a bowl of French fries toward where he think it came from. He hit a young, red-haired woman. She also threw some food. Soon, the whole restaurant was in the middle of a food fight.

Zero and Hazel tried to dodge the flying food. Kai just continued eating. When a piece of food came his way, he would just catch it and eat it.

"I'm loving this," Kai said as he chewed a piece of meat.

The food fight lasted for a while. Eventually, Kai and his friends were on the train. They were all covered in meat and sauce.

"One time!" Hazel shouted. "One time, we go out to eat at a restaurant, and what happens?! We get covered in barbecue sauce!"

Kai licked some barbecue sauce from his fingers.

"I never thought I'd taste so good," Kai said.

"I didn't even have time to take a shower!" Hazel shouted. "You two apologize before I smash your brains out!"

She was pointing toward Serena and Toad.

"Not until she pays me back!" Toad shouted.

"Not happening, fungus-for-brains," Serena said.

"That's it!" Toad shouted.

Toad focused magical energy into his hands. Serena pulled out her knives. Zero first disarmed Serena. He then pointed Toad's hand upwards. Toad's spell shot through the ceiling of the train car. Zero then pushed them back into their seats.

"The last thing we need is a death-match," Zero said. "Sit down and shut up."

Toad then stood up.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Toad said angrily.

Serena stood up as well.

"I'm heading for the diner car," Serena said.

Serena and Toad then left in opposite directions.

"This is a nightmare," Hazel sighed.

Kai licked some more barbecue sauce off of his fingers. That night, the group stayed at a large hotel. While everyone else was asleep, Toad had gone out for a midnight stroll. He eventually came back to the hotel.

"Nothing like a walk to clear your head," Toad said happily.

He looked up. He saw Serena standing on the balcony, looking up toward the stars. A tear fell from her left eye.

"Huh?" Toad said.

Toad ran into the hotel. He made his way to the hotel's balcony. He saw that Serena was still there.

"What's going on?" Toad asked.

Serena quickly turned to face Toad. She wiped her eyes of any tears.

"Nothing," Serena said. "Why?"

"Because you're staring at the stars and crying," Toad said. "Mind explaining?"

"You wouldn't understand," Serena said.

"If its about today, I'm sorry," Toad said.

"It's not that," Serena said. "I…I was just thinking about my father."

"Your father?" Toad asked.

Toad remembered that Moustafa told him and his friends about what happened to Serena's dad.

"I'm…um…sorry for your loss," Toad said.

Serena looked more depressed than before. Toad realized that he had said the wrong thing.

"Maybe you can tell me what he was like," Toad said.

"I guess," Serena said as she turned to face Toad. "He was the original leader of the Thieves of Sand."

"So he was a thief as well," Toad said.

"That's true," Serena said. "But he only stole from people who were so damn rich that they would do anything to stay rich."

A flashback began. It showed a fat man wearing golden clothes riding in a golden carriage being pulled by men riding Chocobos. Suddenly, ten thieves appeared out of nowhere and took down the carriage. Serena's father and Moustafa were standing among the group. Serena's father had black, spiky hair, wore a blue gi with a black belt, and had a cross-shaped scar on the back of his right hand.

"His name was Kazoku," Serena said. "He and Moustafa were the two greatest thieves in the world, at least in my opinion."

Kazoku took out some needles and threw them at the two men riding the Chocobos. The moment the needles stuck into their skin, they passed out. Kazoku then forced open the door to the carriage. The fat rich man tried to bribe Kazoku with a big job as a bodyguard, but Kazoku just knocked him out.

"Search the carriage for our prize," Kazoku said.

The thieves began to search the carriage. Moustafa eventually walked up to him.

"We've got nothing but gold, sir," Moustafa said.

"Moustafa, how many times have I told you not to call me 'sir'," Kazoku said.

"Yes si… I mean Kazoku," Moustafa said.

Kazoku only smiled.

"Take most of the gold, but leave this fat pig with enough to get him to town," Kazoku said. "Leave a note here telling him not to swindle money from the townsfolk anymore, Genma."

"Yes sir," one of the thieves replied.

"Can't anyone listen to me?" Kazoku asked.

Moustafa began to laugh. This flashback ended.

"He sounds like a good man," Toad said.

"He truly was," Serena said.

"You've told me so much about your father, but what about your mother?" Toad asked.

"Well," Serena said. "I never had a mother."

"Huh?" Toad asked.

"Kazoku wasn't my true father," Serena said. "He found me when I was only a baby…"

Another flashback began. Kazoku and Moustafa were traveling in a jungle on a different island.

"Are you sure we'll find a Chaos Emerald here?" Moustafa asked.

"According to the locals, there is a great treasure somewhere in this jungle," Kazoku said. "We'll find it in…"

Kazoku stopped in his tracks. He held his hand up to his ear, like he was trying to listen to something.

"What's going on?" Moustafa asked.

Kazoku heard a baby cry. He began to run in the direction where the cry came from.

"Where are you going?!" Moustafa shouted.

Kazoku just kept running and running. He knocked away trees as he rushed. H eventually reached a clearing. There, he saw a baby girl in a blanket and two panthers stalking her.

"Get away from her," Kazoku said.

The panthers noticed Kazoku. They turned their attention to him. They jumped straight for him. Kazoku took out some needles and threw them at the panthers. The panthers passed out quickly. Kazoku then walked toward the baby and picked her up.

"You're one lucky girl," Kazoku said.

Moustafa made it into the clearing. He was breathing hard, as if he had just ran a marathon.

"What's…going…on?" Moustafa panted.

"I think I found the treasure," Kazoku said as he held the baby.

"I think you've gone nuts," Moustafa said.

Kazoku examined the baby. He found a band wrapped around her wrist that said "Serena".

"So your name's Serena," Kazoku said. "Damn, I was hoping to name you Naminé."

Baby Serena began to giggle when he said this. She then fell asleep in his arms. The flashback ended.

"So you were almost named Naminé," Toad said.

"Yep," Serena said.

She then sighed and looked up towards the stars.

"My father and I were extremely close," Serena said. "In fact, he was the one who trained me to fight."

Another flashback began. It showed a little Serena trying to hit a scarecrow with needles. She missed every time. She eventually fell down. She was completely exhausted.

"I'll never get it right," Serena pouted.

"You just need to practice," Kazoku said from behind her.

He put his hand on her shoulder.

"But I'll never be as good as you," Serena said.

"You know what," Kazoku said. "When I was about five years older than you, I was just as bad as you were, if not worse."

"Really?" Serena asked.

"Yes," Kazoku said. "I just practiced and practiced until I got it right. Eventually, I became an expert. You'll get it right real soon."

With renewed confidence, the young Serena stood up and tried to throw another needle. It hit the scarecrow square in the forehead.

"Perfect shot," Kazoku said. "If that scarecrow was a living enemy, he'd be dead by now."

He and Serena then laughed happily. We returned to the present Serena and Toad.

"It was his dream to gather the Chaos Emeralds," Serena said.

"Why is that?" Toad asked.

Another flashback began. It showed Serena as a young girl and Kazoku in Kazoku's room.

"Why did you become a thief, father?" Serena asked.

"I thought you'd ask that eventually," Kazoku said. "I guess the reason was to bring peace to the world."

"I don't understand," Serena said.

"I'm sure I've told you about the Chaos Emeralds," Kazoku said. "They're seven beautiful and rare gems that are scattered across the world."

"They sound pretty!" Serena exclaimed.

"That's true," Kazoku said. "But they are destructive. If all seven of them fall into the wrong hands, an evil man could take over the world and cover our home in darkness. I became a thief to make sure that never happens."

The flashback ended.

"He sounds kind-hearted," Toad said.

"He truly was a noble warrior," Serena said. "I thought that his kindness would let him live forever. But I was wrong."

Serena's right hand clenched into a fist. Another flashback began. It showed Kazoku in bed. He looked pale and extremely weak. A doctor was doing the best he could to help him.

"Father!" Serena's voice shouted from outside the room.

Serena rushed into the room. She then ran straight to her father's side. She held his hands. Tears were in her eyes.

"Serena," Kazoku said weakly. "I'm glad I could see you…one more time."

"Don't say that!" Serena shouted. "You'll make it! The doctors here are experts."

"Don't try to make me feel better," Kazoku said. "I'm truly ready for death. My only regret…is that I'll never see the Chaos Emeralds."

"Yes you will!" Serena shouted. "You'll make it through the operation and gather all seven of the Chaos Emeralds! I know it!"

"Serena," Kazoku said. "I want you to become the new leader of the Thieves of Sand. Please take care of everyone, especially Jaramillo."

"You can't leave me!" Serena cried. "You just can't!"

By now, she was bawling.

"I trained you to be tougher than that," Kazoku said. "I'm so glad that you grew up to become quite the beautiful woman. My guys need a leader…like…you."

Kazoku's arm loosened and his eyes closed. The doctor checked his pulse.

"The king is dead," the doctor said.

"FATHER!!!" Serena cried.

Moustafa walked in and stared at his lifeless friend. The flashback ended. Serena's eyes were watering.

"I…I'm sorry about that," Toad said.

"He was my only family," Serena said. "When he died, I was left all alone."

She began to cry louder. Toad walked up to her.

"That's not true," Toad said. "You have Jaramillo and all of those other things. You also have Moustafa. And you have Zero, Hazel, Kai,… and me. And we'll make sure that you fulfill your father's dream. We'll help you gather those Chaos Emeralds."

Serena turned to face Toad. She fell to her knees and began to cry harder than ever. Toad put his hand on her shoulder. Kai was around the corner of the balcony, watching the whole thing. A smile was on his face.

"I'll leave them alone," Kai said quietly as he walked off.

The following morning, they were all walking out of the hotel. Hazel looked back toward Toad and Serena. They were getting along nicely.

"I'm surprised," Hazel said. "You haven't tried to kill each other yet."

"We're on better terms now," Serena said.

"I knew that everything would work out in the end," Kai said. "It always does."

Serena ran ahead of the rest of the group.

"Let's go get some breakfast," Serena said. "It's all on me. And I mean it."

"What are we waiting for?!" Kai shouted. "Let's eat!"

They all ran into town.

"Father," Serena thought as she ran. "I hope your watching. Take a good look…at my new family."

Serena imagined her father in the sky. He was happily watching Serena and her new friends.


	25. Chapter 25: Kolorado, the Archeologist

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 25: Kolorado, the Archeologist**

Kai and his friends finally arrived at their destination: back at their ship. Toad was looking at the Chaos Radar.

"Are you sure that the Chaos Emerald is in the middle of the ocean?" Kai asked. "That seems stupid."

"The signal's faint, but it's strong enough to show where it is," Toad said. "It is somewhere outside of the Delfigalo Continent. Maybe it's on an island somewhere."

Serena took the Chaos Radar and looked at it. She then pulled out a map of the world.

"That's my…" Hazel started.

"I'm borrowing it," Serena said.

She switched her gaze from the radar to the map. She then looked back at the radar.

"I know where it might be," Serena said.

She handed the Chaos Radar back to Toad. She then gathered everyone around the map.

"According to the radar, the Chaos Emerald is around here," Serena said.

She pointed to a small island that was just off of the Delfigalo Continent.

"It's called Lavalava Island," Serena said. "This is the island where my father found me."

"That's pretty neat," Hazel said.

"He said that he was really looking for treasure the day he found me," Serena said. "Maybe the treasure he was referring to…"

"…Is the Chaos Emerald," Zero finished. "There's a definite chance."

"Let's get moving!" Kai shouted. "Next stop: Lavalava Island!"

Kai ran toward the ship.

"Kai!" Toad shouted. "We never disarmed the magical barrier!"

Kai stepped onto the ship with no problems. For one second, Toad, Zero, and Hazel stared with astonishment. They then looked toward Serena.

"What kind of thief would I be if I couldn't disarm such a simple barrier?" Serena asked.

They all then boarded the ship. The ship set sail for Lavalava Island. After a day of sailing, they finally reached it. It was an average sized island with a large volcano in the middle of it.

Everyone on the ship looked at the volcano.

"I hope it doesn't erupt," Kai said.

"Don't worry," Hazel said as she held out a book. "According to this book, Mountains of the World, Mt. Lavalava is a **dormant** volcano."

"So we won't have to worry about burning up," Zero said. "Let's get a move on!"

They then left the ship and stepped onto the island. The white sand of the beach almost immediately gave way to a thick jungle. The trees blocked out the sun, making the jungle dark and menacing. Soon, Kai and his friends were definitely…

"LOST!" Hazel shouted.

"We're not lost," Kai said. "I'm…just not sure…where exactly we are…currently."

"That's the same as being lost!" Hazel shouted. "Why does this happen to us?!"

"Because we tend to travel without a map or compass," Toad said. "We used to have a Seeking Feather, but Mario borrowed it for something."

"So we have no map, no compass, and no Seeking Feather," Hazel said.

"You guys aren't very good at this, are you?" Serena asked.

"We've lasted this long," Kai replied cheerfully.

Eventually, they saw the edge of the jungle.

"We made it!" Kai shouted.

Once they exited the jungle, they were surprised to find a whole village. There were different-colored Yoshis walking around the village.

"A village of dinos," Kai said.

"This must be where Yoshis come from," Toad said.

As Kai and his friends progressed through the small village, they noticed that every building was made from logs and leaves. This was definitely a primitive village, so there was no chance of finding goods that are found in places like the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule.

They eventually made their way to the center of the village, where a fat, green Yoshi wearing a feather on its head and armbands was sitting on a small island in the middle of a lake. As soon as they walked forward, this Yoshi looked toward him.

"Welcome to my village, Kai Kamai and friends," the fat Yoshi said.

"How'd you know my name?" Kai asked.

"And how do you speak so well?" Toad asked.

"The story of your exploits in the Gameon Islands has spread all across the globe," the fat Yoshi said. "I heard it from a traveling team of strange creatures led by one holding spoons."

"Holding spoons?" Serena asked.

Kai almost immediately realized whom he meant.

"Alakazam!" Kai exclaimed.

"My name is Chief Yoshi," the fat Yoshi continued. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Do you mind answering my question?" Toad asked. "Why do you speak so well. The Yoshis in the Mushroom Kingdom are hard to understand."

"The Yoshis on this island learned to talk from the books that came to us in the drifting waves," Chief Yoshi answered.

Kai wondered how books could remain readable after moving across the ocean, but this world has never made sense.

"In fact, I've just finished an interesting book about a young woman who…sorry. I got off topic," Chief Yoshi continued. "Anyway, is there anything I can help you with?"

Kai and his friends explained their story to Chief Yoshi.

"You aren't the first ones to ask me about a treasure on this island," Chief Yoshi said. "I just met a peculiar fellow who asked about treasure."

Kai wondered if he meant Eggman, Zant, or Mr. L.

"I believe his name was…Kolorado or something," Chief Yoshi said.

"KOLORADO?!" Hazel exclaimed. "As in famous archeologist, Kolorado?!"

Her face glowed in excitement.

"I'm almost afraid to ask this, but who is this guy?" Kai asked.

"Kolorado is a renowned archeologist who has discovered hidden treasures all across the globe!" Hazel exclaimed. "I've read many books about his journeys! Is he here?! I've got many questions to ask him!"

"He is heading for Mt. Lavalava," Chief Yoshi answered. "He says that there might be a treasure in its caves."

"Let's go!" Hazel shouted.

Hazel marched toward the volcano.

"I've never seen her this excited before," Kai said.

"It's kind of scary," Toad replied.

They followed Hazel toward the volcano. They eventually hit another jungle. This one was just as dark as the previous one. As they journeyed deeper and deeper into the jungle's depths, they wondered if they would ever reach the volcano.

Eventually, they heard a scream.

"What was that?" Hazel asked.

"Let's go check!" Kai shouted.

They all then ran in the direction where the scream came from. Soon, they saw a Koopa wearing a hat and a mustache. His shell was not on his back, but it was being tossed around by strange, fuzzy, black creatures in the trees.

"I say!" the Koopa shouted. "Give that back!"

The black creatures just laughed at him.

"You think we should help?" Kai asked.

"I guess," Zero replied.

Zero then rushed forward and threw shuriken at each of the black creatures. Soon, they dropped the shell. The Koopa put the shell back on. He then walked over to Kai's group.

"Thank you very much," the Koopa said. "My name is Kolorado. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Of course!" Hazel exclaimed with glee. "You are the famous archeologist who has discovered many ruins and found many treasures! I've read the stories about your adventures ever since I was a little girl!"

"I'm glad to meet a fan," Kolorado said. "So it is my guess that you are here to help me find the treasure of Mt. Lavalava."

"Actually, we're here to…" Toad began.

"Definitely!" Hazel shouted. "I'd love to see the great Kolorado in action!"

"Excellent," Kolorado said. "Now, we first must find the volcano. I seem to have misplaced my map and compass. Do any of you fine young chaps have a map?"

There was a long pause of silence.

"Well, lady luck has guided me this far," Kolorado said. "We'll just keep moving forward. Follow me."

Kolorado began to walk forward. Kai's group soon followed. After another hour of walking, they reached the volcano. There was a river of lava that prevented them from reaching a cave in the mountain.

"It seems we've come this far for nothing," Zero said.

"I'm sure we can jump this," Kolorado said.

"The river is 15 feet wide," Serena replied. "How the hell are you going to jump across that?"

"I see your point," Kolorado said. "I don't suppose that any of you can fly."

Serena, Hazel, Zero, and Toad looked toward Kai.

"Don't look at me," Kai said. "I only grow wings when I'm fighting a real tough enemy."

"Then we'll just have to head back to the village," Kolorado said. "Once there, we can formulate a plan. Follow me. I know a shortcut."

Kolorado walked back into the jungle. Kai's group began to follow him. As they left, Kai noticed a sign that said "To Yoshi Village". Next to the sign was a dirt path through the jungle.

"I guess Kolorado might know a shorter way," Kai said.

Kai continued to follow him. After a couple of hours, they reached the village. Chief Yoshi looked toward them.

"You are back," Chief Yoshi said. "Why did you travel through the dangerous jungle. There's a 30-minute path to the volcano just outside of the village. Didn't you see the sign?"

"I guess I was in a rush," Kolorado said. "I'm just glad that these young kids also entered the jungle. If they didn't, I would've been a goner."

"Well, what happened at the volcano?" Chief Yoshi asked.

Kai explained what had happened.

"So you couldn't get into the cave," Chief Yoshi said. "That is sad. The lava river has been flowing much harder lately. It makes me worry. If it isn't stopped soon, the lava might engulf my village."

"We'll find a way to get across," Kai said. "And once we do, we'll stop the lava from flowing."

"That would be wonderful," Chief Yoshi said. "You are all welcome to join us for a feast. Especially you, Mr. Kolorado. A book just washed up onto shore about your adventures."

"Which one was it?" Kolorado asked. "Dances with Mummies or Secret of the Shy Guys?"

"It was Incredible Echidnas," Chief Yoshi answered.

"A personal favorite of mine," Kolorado said. "We should discuss it once you finish reading. It's all about the secret of the ancient race of the Echidnas."

"Echidnas?" Kai thought.

That night, while everyone was sleeping, Hazel stepped out for some fresh air. She saw Kai sitting down outside, looking up at the stars. She stepped on some leaves, and Kai noticed her.

"Hey," Kai said. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Hazel answered. "You?"

"Same thing," Kai replied. "I was thinking about the vision I had back on Angel Island."

"Seriously?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," Kai said. "I feel that the vision had something to do with what the Chaos Emeralds can do. I just wish I knew what."

Hazel sat down next to Kai.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Hazel said.

She then looked up at the stars.

"It's beautiful out tonight," Hazel said.

"Yeah," Kai replied.

They looked at each other. Hazel moved a little closer to Kai, who did the exact same thing.

"It's kinda…romantic," Hazel said.

"Yeah," Kai said.

They were both blushing. Soon, they closed their eyes. Suddenly, a strange light appeared above them. Kai and Hazel opened their eyes and looked toward the light. A shining…thing was shooting toward them.

"What is that thing?!" Hazel shouted.

Kai and Hazel immediately stood up. When the light hit them, it completely surrounded them. When the light faded, Kai and Hazel found themselves on Angel Island.

"What's going on?" Hazel asked.

"I think this is another vision of the past," Kai said. "I went through the same thing back on Angel Island."

They saw that they were in a strange village. Echidnas were walking around the village.

"I wonder what's going on," Kai said.

They saw an orange, female Echidna walking toward the largest building in the village. It can be guessed that this building belonged to the chief of the village.

Kai and Hazel quietly followed this Echidna. Even though they were in plain sight of many Echidna, they didn't seem to noticed them.

"I guess we're like ghosts here," Hazel said.

"Sweet," Kai said.

They followed the girl Echidna into the large building. There, an old, reddish-brown, male Echidna wearing gold and feathers.

"Tikal, what are you doing here?" the reddish-brown Echidna asked.

"Father, I heard about your plan," the girl Echidna said. "Please, the Avians are kind to us. Why must you steal their power?"

"He wants to steal the Avians' power?!" Kai shouted.

"Wanted," Hazel corrected. "This is a vision of the **past**."

"The Avians rule these skies," Tikal's father said. "If we use the power of the emeralds, we can take over their kingdom. With their dominion of the sky, we will take our rightful place as the rulers of the world."

"But this is wrong!" Tikal cried. "We can't hurt them! I won't let you!"

"Out of my way, girl!" Tikal's father shouted. "You must learn your place!"

Tikal's father left the room. Tikal then fell to her knees and began to cry. As Kai walked toward her, as if to comfort her, a bright light engulfed the entire room. When the light faded, Kai and Hazel found themselves back in the Yoshi village. They were laying down, as if they were asleep. The sun was rising.

"Was that a dream?" Hazel asked.

"No way," Kai said. "Dreams don't seem that real. I'm sure it was a vision of the past. I don't know what it means, but it might come in handy later."

They then watched as the sun continued to rise. Today, they were going to find a way to reach the volcano's cave.


	26. Chapter 26: Into the Volcano

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 26: Into the Volcano**

"Another vision?!" Toad exclaimed.

Kai and Hazel had explained the experience they had faced the previous night.

"Vision?" Serena asked.

"Kai randomly has visions that ultimately help us out," Zero said.

"That's odd," Serena said. "But I guess this kind of thing is normal for you."

"This vision was different," Kai said. "Somehow, Hazel and I were both in the vision. We saw everything that happened."

"So the Echidnas tried to take over the world," Zero said.

"But what happened?" Toad asked. "What stopped the Echidnas?"

"That's what I want to ask Kolorado about," Kai said. "He said that he wrote a book on the Echidnas. Where is he?"

"He's asking Yoshis around town about the volcano," Toad answered.

"Of course," Kai said.

"We'd probably be best to do the same," Zero said. "I bet that the Chaos Emerald is in the volcano. If we want to get it out, we have to find a way past the lava."

Suddenly, Chief Yoshi came into the room.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Chief Yoshi said.

"No problem," Kai said. "What do you need?"

"I have some information that might help," Chief Yoshi said. "I know someone who might be able to help you across the lava."

"Who is he?" Kai asked.

"His name is Raphael Raven," Chief Yoshi said. "He is the king of the Ravens. If there is anyone on the island that can help you get there, it's him."

"How do we reach him?" Kai asked.

"With this," Chief Yoshi answered.

He pulled out a small, jade statue of a raven. He handed it to Kai.

"Place that in the altar dedicated to Raphael Raven," Chief Yoshi continued. "Once that is done, a path leading to him will appear."

"Thanks," Kai said. "Alright. Let's get moving."

"What about Kolorado?" Toad asked.

"I…forgot," Kai said. "Let's go get him."

After a while, the whole group, including Kolorado, was heading deep into the jungle.

"I am amazed," Kolorado said. "You figured out the puzzle without my help. You five might be archeologists in the making."

"How much further?" Toad asked.

"I see it!" Hazel exclaimed.

Just as Hazel had said, the altar was dead ahead. The altar was right in front of a statue of a large raven. A shelf in the altar was large enough to hold the jade statue.

"I guess we place this here," Kai said as he took out the statue.

He placed the jade statue into the altar. Suddenly, the trees behind the large statue began to part. Soon, a path appeared.

"Astounding!" Kolorado shouted as he wrote down some notes. "This adventure is a best-seller in the making!"

They all then began to walk down the new path. After a minute of walking, they saw something that sent them into a state of pure awe. It was a tree that was so high that the top of its branches couldn't be seen past the clouds.

"This must be where Raphael Raven lives," Kai said. "How do we get up there?"

"There must be a secret entrance or something," Serena said. "I'll start looking."

Serena began to examine the tree.

"Why would there be a secret entrance in a…" Toad began.

Serena pushed part of the bark on the trunk further into the tree. A large doorway appeared in the tree. In the doorway was a staircase leading to the top.

"Let's go up," Kai said.

Kai, Zero, Hazel, and Kolorado began to head up. Serena walked over to Toad.

"You were saying?" Serena asked.

Toad ignored this. He and Serena began to follow the rest of the group. They climbed higher and higher up the seemingly endless staircase. After a long time of climbing, they reached a door.

"This is it," Kai said.

Kai opened the door. Inside was a large room, but this wasn't surprising. The thing that surprised Kai's group was a large, black raven the size of an elephant.

"I am the great Raphael Raven," the large raven bellowed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kolorado," Kolorado immediately said. "I am a famous explorer. These kids are temporary members of my crew."

"How did you get here?" Raphael asked.

"Chief Yoshi gave us a statue that led us here," Kai answered.

"If he gave you that, there must be a reason," Raphael said. "Please explain."

They then explained the story to Raphael.

"I see," Raphael said. "I think I know how to get across the lava."

Raphael then headed to the other side of the room. There was a large opening and a zip-line leading to the bottom.

"Come to me, my children!" Raphael shouted.

His voice echoed through the jungle. Suddenly, hundreds of small ravens began to flock into the room.

"These travelers need our help," Raphael said. "We must set up a zip-line at the volcano's base. Let's move."

Raphael and the other ravens jumped out of the tree. Kai and his friends followed them by taking the zip-line to the bottom. At the bottom, they found another path. They took this path and found themselves at the volcano. Raphael was waiting for them.

"You took your time," Raphael said. "We are done."

Kai looked ahead. He saw that the raven set up a pulley system leading to the top of a nearby tree. From the tree, a zip-line shot across the lava to the cave. From there was another zip-line leading back across the lava.

"Whoa," Kai said.

"We were like ten seconds behind you," Zero said. "How did you do this?"

"We ravens are quite resourceful," Raphael said. "Now, just take the zip-line, and you'll be at the cave. But hurry. I feel that the volcano will erupt soon. If it does, you all will be burned alive."

"I've faced dangers ten times as hard as this," Kolorado said. "Let's go!"

Kolorado climbed up into the tree and crossed the zip-line. Kai and his friends soon followed. By the time they all crossed the zip-line, Kolorado had already entered the cave.

"Good-luck, my new friends!" Raphael shouted from across the lava.

Raphael and all but two ravens left the area. The two ravens that remained were there to help work the zip-line.

Kai and his friends then entered the cave. Once inside, the heat of the lava began to overwhelm them. They saw Kolorado as he hopped on rocks to cross a pool of lava. Once he crossed, he looked back toward Kai and his friends.

"Hurry up," Kolorado said. "The treasure is waiting!"

Kai and his friends hopped across the lava in order to keep up with Kolorado. Once they were across, they followed Kolorado down another path. Zubats and Golbats were hanging from the ceiling of the cave. A Magmar popped up from the lava to get a good look at who had entered the cave.

"Why are there Pokemon in a volcano that is going to erupt soon?" Toad asked.

"Everyone thought that this volcano was dormant," Hazel said. "So they had no reason to fear the lava."

They continued down the path. After a while, they reached a fork in the road.

"It seems we are at a predicament," Kolorado said. "There are six of us, so we'll split into two groups. As the leader of this operation, I'll decide the teams. I'll take the smart girl and the resourceful swordsman."

Kai and Hazel looked toward each other and then back at Kolorado. They stepped toward him.

"My group will head down this path," Kolorado said as he pointed down the path to the right. "You three take the other path."

The two groups went down the paths that they were told to go down. Kai and Hazel continued to follow Kolorado until they reached a large room. A large staircase leading downwards was right in front of Kai's group. At the bottom of the stairs was a large stone block. To the right of the bottom was another staircase leading further down to…who knows what.

"I can smell the treasure," Kolorado happily said. "Follow me!"

Kolorado began to run down the stairs, but he tripped after a few steps. He rolled down the stairs until he hit the block.

"Not very graceful, is he?" Kai asked.

Kai and Hazel slowly headed down the stairs. Kolorado was dizzy from his fall. Hazel examined him.

"He's just knocked out," Hazel said. "I'll take care of his wounds. Kai, you should head down the stairs and come back with your findings."

"Alright," Kai replied.

Kai then headed further down into the volcano. The stairs led to a small room, but it was empty. Kai looked around, but he couldn't find anything. He then began to head up the stairs, but he heard something strange. It sounded like a dog panting.

Kai turned around and saw the golden wolf again. The wolf pounced on him, and a bright light covered Kai's vision. He eventually found himself back in the strange field from Hyrule. He saw the golden wolf straight ahead of him. When Kai blinked, the wolf had transformed into the hero spirit.

"It is time to learn a new technique," the hero spirit said. "But you must first demonstrate the technique I taught you last time."

Kai and the hero spirit drew their swords. Kai then used the **Dragon Claw** technique, which the hero spirit blocked.

"Good," the hero spirit said. "Now you will learn the second of three techniques. It is called the **Dragon Pulse**."

The hero spirit summoned a target out of nowhere. He then held out his right hand. White energy began to form in his palm. The energy took the shape of a sphere. The sphere then shot straight for the target. Once it hit, the target shattered into pieces.

"The energy needed for this spell is the same one used for the previous technique," the hero spirit said. "Now demonstrate the technique."

Another target appeared out of nowhere. Kai held out his right hand. He charged white magical energy into his palm. The energy formed into a ball-shape. The spell then shot toward the target and shattered it.

"Congratulations," the hero spirit said. "You have mastered my second technique. This spell is used to destroy obstacles that are normally impenetrable. Now you have one last technique to learn. But learning this one won't be as easy as the other two. You must find a sacred shrine as a beast and howl the tune carved into it. I will see you there."

A bright light surrounded the entire field. When the light faded, Kai was back in the cave.

"Kai, did you find something!" Hazel shouted from the top of the stairs.

"It's a dead end!" Kai shouted back.

He then stood up and headed up the stairs. Hazel and Kolorado were standing there.

"So we reached a dead end," Hazel said. "I guess the other path was the right one."

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "I'm sure this was the right way. And I'm sure it has something to do with this block."

Hazel began to examine the block.

"Maybe we have to destroy it," Kolorado suggested.

"This thing won't break easily," Hazel said. "Not even my **Gyro Sphere** will cause a dent in this thing."

"Let me try something," Kai said. "Step back."

Hazel and Kolorado stepped backwards. Kai held out his right hand. He charged the **Dragon Pulse** into his palm. He then launched the technique straight into the block. At first, it seemed that the spell did nothing. After a few seconds, however, the block shattered into many pieces. Another path was behind the block.

"This just proves that the treasure is definitely here," Kolorado said. "Follow me!"

Kolorado ran down the path. Hazel turned toward Kai.

"What was that?" Hazel asked.

"Something I picked up," Kai said.

They then headed down the volcano, where the treasure supposedly awaited.


	27. Chapter 27: Lavalava Erupts

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 27: Lavalava erupts**

Kai, Hazel, and Kolorado continued down the path. As they travel deeper and deeper into the cave, they began to wonder whether or not they really took the right path.

"I wonder how Zero, Toad, and Serena are doing," Hazel said.

"If I know them, they've already found the treasure," Kai said. "I mean Serena is an expert thief. She must have some sort of super treasure sense or something."

Meanwhile, Serena sneezed. Her group had reached a dead end.

"Someone must be talking behind my back," Serena said. "I bet it's Jaramillo or something."

"We've reached a dead end," Zero said. "Should we follow Kai and Hazel, or just get out?"

"I say we get out," Toad said. "If we get lost, we're screwed."

"Fine," Zero said. "We should head to the top of the volcano. I'd like to get a good look at how long we have before the mountain blows."

They begin to head out of the volcano. Meanwhile, Kai, Hazel, and Kolorado finally reach another room. In this one, a door was on the opposite wall. To the right was another staircase heading downwards. The door had a star carved into it.

"There's the treasure!" Kolorado shouted.

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "It's too obvious."

"Then we'll split up," Kolorado said. "I'll go in this door, and you two can go down those stairs. Wait for me, Treasure! Kolorado's coming!"

Kolorado rushed to the door. Kai and Hazel walked down the stairs. At the bottom was another door.

"What could this mean?" Kai asked.

"Who knows?" Hazel asked. "Maybe this is where the treasure is."

Kai and Hazel opened this door. Inside was a large room. In the middle of the room was a small pool of lava. At the other side was another door.

"Let's just walk around the lava and go into that door," Kai said.

Just as Kai said that, the room began to shake.

"Is the volcano erupting?!" Hazel exclaimed.

Hazel was wrong. Suddenly, a giant Piranha Plant rose from the lava. Two smaller Piranha Plants rose from the lava as well.

"Hazel, what the hell is that?" Kai asked.

"I've read about these," Hazel said. "It's called a Lava Piranha. It's a species of Piranha Plant that thrives in volcanoes. But I thought that they were extinct."

"I say you were wrong," Kai said.

The large plant then spat out a fireball toward Kai and Hazel. Hazel created a barrier that blocked this attack. The smaller ones began to spit smaller fireballs toward Hazel's barrier while the big one continued its assault. After a while, Hazel was struggling to keep the barrier up.

"I can't hold it much longer!" Hazel shouted.

"Let the spell go and jump out of the way!" Kai shouted.

Hazel then stopped her defense. She and Kai then jumped out of the way of the blasts. The Lava Piranha and its buds continued to spit fireballs toward Kai and Hazel. Kai and Hazel managed to dodge these attacks.

"How do we beat this guy, Hazel?" Kai asked.

"I don't know much about it, I'm afraid," Hazel said. "But since it thrives on heat, I say we should use something cold to fight it."

"Right," Kai said.

Kai held out his right hand. He cast a **Blizzard** spell toward one of the small buds. The bud died, but another came up in its place.

"I think you need to kill the big one," Hazel said. "It seems to be the main plant. Once its dead, the others will probably die as well."

"Whatever you say," Kai said.

Kai began blasting the large plant with **Blizzard **spells, but the spells didn't work.

"My spells aren't strong enough," Kai said. "I haven't practiced higher level black magic yet."

"Try hacking and slashing it," Hazel said.

"How can I touch it without falling in the lava?" Kai asked.

"I'll help you there," Hazel said.

Hazel placed a small barrier right in front of the plant. Kai ran up the barrier until he was within slicing distance of the plant. He took his sword and began to attack Lava Piranha, who countered with its fireballs and its mouth. Soon, Kai dealt a fatal blow, and the Lava Piranha sank into the lava.

"Sweet," Kai said as he jumped down from the barrier.

He then walked up to Hazel.

"I'm just glad that didn't last any longer," Kai said.

Suddenly, Lava Piranha and its buds rose from the lava once again. This time, however, they had fire blazing on their tops.

"Damn," Kai groaned. "I shouldn't have anything."

The Lava Piranha then launched a bigger fireball toward Kai and Hazel. Hazel created a barrier, but it broke immediately. Hazel and Kai were blown backwards.

"I'm too weak," Hazel said. "I can't cast anymore barriers."

Kai began to help Hazel stand up.

"I'LL SAVE YOU!!!" a voice shouted from above them.

Kai, Hazel, and Lava Piranha looked up. They saw Kolorado, who was standing on a platform above them. He was holding a long vine.

"Banzai!" Kolorado shouted.

Kolorado then jumped down and swung toward Lava Piranha. He didn't check how long his vine was before he jumped, however, and he fell into the lava. He bounced back up in pain.

"I'll just wait in there," Kolorado said as he pointed to the door where Hazel and Kai came in. "Good-luck."

Sweat drops appeared on Kai's and Hazel's heads.

"He's not very graceful," Kai said.

They continued their fight against the Lava Piranha. Kai and Hazel could only dodge the fireballs because they couldn't think of anything to counter with.

"Normal spells won't work," Hazel said. "Do you have anything stronger?"

"I might," Kai said. "Let's see if this works!"

Kai slid into a fighting stance. He held out his right hand. He charged white magical energy in his right palm. The energy began to form into a sphere.

"**Dragon Pulse**!" Kai shouted as he released the spell.

Lava Piranha just shattered the spell with a fireball.

"I don't have enough magical energy right now," Kai said.

"You have to try something!" Hazel shouted. "Or we'll be toasted!"

"She's right," Kai thought. "There's only one hope. Let's just hope I can pull it out."

Kai then began to focus. He found a burning energy deep inside of him. He then held out his right hand. As the white energy gathered in his palm, his white wings appeared on his back. The white energy he pulled together was more powerful than all previous ones. The sphere that formed was about as big as Kai was.

"**DRAGON PULSE**!" Kai shouted as he released the spell.

As soon as he launched the spell, his wings disappeared. Kai knew that if this didn't work, nothing would.

Once the spell reached the Lava Piranha and its buds, Lava Piranha began to dissolve in the burning energy. Soon, Lava Piranha was completely obliterated.

Hazel walked over to Kai and helped him to stand up.

"Let me give you something, Kai," Hazel said. "It'll give you enough energy to walk."

Hazel pulled out a vial of sticky, orange liquid. Kai drank it. It tasted like honey. Almost immediately after the liquid slid down his throat, a small bit of energy returned to Kai. Kai then stood up on his own.

"It's called Honey Syrup," Hazel said. "It can bring back a small bit of energy."

"Thanks," Kai said. "Now, let's go get Kolorado."

"Did somebody say my name?" Kolorado said as he opened the door.

He then walked over to Kai and Hazel.

"You two were impressive," Kolorado said. "But I may as well take that battle out of my book. Nobody is going to want to read something that boring. Let's get a move on."

Kolorado then stepped forward.

"I bet he just didn't want to seem like a clumsy idiot," Kai said.

"True," Hazel said. "But who'd believe us anyway?"

Kai and Hazel then began to follow Kolorado, who had already entered the next room. Suddenly, the room began to quake.

"What's happening?!" Kai shouted.

"Look!" Hazel shouted.

Kai looked toward where Hazel was pointing. Lava was slowly rising up into the room.

"The volcano's about to blow!" Hazel shouted. "We have to get out of here!"

"Let's go get Kolorado and get the hell out of here!" Kai shouted.

Kai and Hazel then ran into the room where Kolorado was. They found him jumping up toward a treasure chest that was high above him.

"I found the treasure!" Kolorado shouted. "It's finally mine!"

"Forget the treasure and get out of here!" Kai shouted.

"NO!" Kolorado shouted back.

"Do you guys need any help?!" a familiar voice shouted from above them.

They looked up. They noticed that the opening at the top of the volcano was right above them. Zero, Toad, and Hazel were looking down toward them.

"The volcano's about to blow!" Kai shouted. "Help us get out of here!"

"Kai, look!" Hazel shouted.

The lava was slowly rising up. Kai, Hazel, and Kolorado managed to find some higher ground.

"Hurry!" Kai shouted.

"What can we do?" Serena asked Zero.

"Don't worry," Zero said as he bit his right thumb.

He then began to form some hand-signs. After he was done, he slammed his right hand onto the ground.

"**Summoning Jutsu**!" Zero shouted.

In a puff of white smoke, a giant light-blue dragon with wings appeared right below Zero.

"Let's go!" Zero shouted.

The dragon roared and flapped its mighty wings. Zero then rode the dragon into the volcano. When he reached the bottom, he helped Kai, Hazel, and Kolorado onto the dragon. Kolorado didn't want to leave because of the treasure.

"Get on the damn dragon!" Zero shouted. "We don't have time for this!"

Once everyone was on, the dragon flapped its mighty wings and soared up into the air. The lava was slowly rising higher and higher.

When they reached the top, Serena and Toad boarded the dragon. They then flew out of the lava's reach.

"We have to stop the lava," Kai said. "Or else the villagers will burn."

"Alright," Zero said. "Kai, Toad, you and I will go down and stop the lava. The rest of you, ride my dragon down to town and warn the villagers."

Kai, Zero, and Toad jumped off and landed onto the volcano.

"We have to create a path for the lava to follow," Zero said. "And we have to be quick. The volcano will blow any second!"

Kai and Toad used spells to create paths while Zero used his ninjutsu to help. Soon, Zero stopped helping with the path and started using his techniques to place large rocks next to the path so the lava wouldn't escape. Once they were done, a path that led the lava away from the village and to the ocean was created.

Suddenly, the volcano erupted. He was far away to see what, but Kai definitely saw something brown fly out of the volcano as the lava erupted. The strange object landed somewhere on the island.

When the lava reached the path, it did just what Kai, Toad, and Zero had predicted. The lava landed in the path and began to follow it. The large rocks prevented any lava from escaping. The lava flowed into the ocean and hardened. After a while, the volcano stopped erupting.

"We did it!" Kai shouted.

"Good," Zero said. "Let's head back to town. The others are waiting for us."

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Kai said. "There's something I have to get."

After thirty minutes, Zero and Toad had returned to town, where the villagers had begun to praise them. Hazel, Serena, and Kolorado ran up to them.

"Good show, boys!" Kolorado exclaimed.

"That was amazing!" Serena exclaimed.

Hazel looked back and forth.

"Where's Kai?" Hazel asked.

"Over here!" Kai's voice shouted from behind them.

They all turned around. Kai walked into town carrying…

"The TREASURE!!!" Kolorado shouted.

"How did you get it?" Hazel asked as Kai got near the group.

"It shot out of the volcano," Kai said. "I just ran down and found it."

Kai then handed the chest to Kolorado.

"You did it, boy!" Kolorado shouted. "Let's see what's inside!"

Everyone watched as Kolorado slowly opened the chest. Inside was a strange, light-blue vase with strange writing all over it.

"Is that it?" Hazel asked, slightly disappointed at the findings.

"Do you know what this is?!" Kolorado exclaimed with excitement.

Kai, Toad, Zero, Hazel, and Serena just shook their heads.

"This is a treasure of the ancient race of the Avians!" Kolorado shouted.

"What?!" Kai and his friends exclaimed.

"This proves that the Avians did live in both the sky and on land!" Kolorado shouted. "This means that there must be more of these!"

"Kolorado, what does the writing on the vase say?" Hazel asked.

"Let me see," Kolorado said.

Kolorado examined the vase. As he flipped it upside down to see if he could translate it, a Chaos Emerald fell out.

"The Chaos Emerald!" Toad shouted. "We found it!"

Toad then picked it up and added it to the collection.

"This is hard to understand," Kolorado said. "I'll figure it out by tomorrow night at the earliest if I have some help."

"I can grab some books from the S.S. Mushroom," Hazel said.

"Thank you," Kolorado said. "Having someone as smart as you could help me out. Just lead me to these books."

Hazel then led Kolorado to the S.S. Mushroom. Toad followed them in order to help.

"I can't believe it!" Kai thought. "Finally, I might just be able to learn something about the Avians."


	28. Chapter 28: Return of the Koopa King

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 28: Return of the Koopa King**

That night, everyone enjoyed a large feast that consisted entirely of fruit that was grown on the island. Everyone enjoyed the feast. Afterwards, Hazel and Kolorado went to work. They examined the vase, hoping to translate the mysterious writing that covered it.

Kai and Toad were checking the Chaos Radar for any sign of the next emerald. Strangely, the radar only showed six emeralds, the three that Kai's group had and the three that Eggman had.

"That's impossible," Toad said as he examined the device. "There should be seven emeralds!"

"Try extending the range," Kai suggested.

"I've increased the range as far as it will go," Toad said. "There are only six emeralds on the radar."

"Maybe the seventh one will show up later," Kai said. "For now, we should just get the three that Eggman has."

"Right," Toad said.

Meanwhile, Kamek was flying toward his master, Bowser. Bowser was anxiously waiting for Kamek to bring him the Chaos Emerald that Lava Piranha found. Soon, Kamek flew into the room.

"Tell me what happened," Bowser said. "Do you have the Chaos Emerald or not?"

"Well…um…you see," Kamek said. "I have good news and bad news."

"Alright," Bowser said. "What's the good news?"

"The good news is that Lava Piranha found the emerald on Lavalava Island," Kamek said.

"What's the bad news?" Bowser asked.

"The bad news is…that Kai Kamai defeated Lava Piranha and took the emerald," Kamek said.

Bowser then roared with anger.

"That Kai Kamai has been a thorn in my side for too long!" Bowser shouted angrily. "Since none of my henchmen can do their jobs, I'll just have to take matters into my own hands. Kamek, bring me the Koopa Copter and the Super Sphere!"

Bowser then stormed out of this room. The following morning, Kai and Toad woke up early to do a training session.

"So you want me to watch you build up magic?" Toad yawned.

"Yeah," Kai answered. "I think that's how I grow wings. I want to see if I can do it without battling."

"Alright," Toad said. "I'll just sit here and watch."

Kai then got into a fighting stance. He closed his eyes and began to focus his magic. Soon, his magical aura began to surround him. Kai focused harder and harder and his magical energy grew. Soon, his power began to shake the trees and form cracks in the earth. It felt like an earthquake was hitting the island. Toad had a feeling that something painful was about to happen.

Kai then let out a mighty yell as his magical energy rapidly shot up. The force of the energy created a crater in the earth below him and blew Toad backwards. Toad crashed into a tree. Then Toad opened his eyes and saw that Kai's energy had knocked down many of the trees. Kai was on his knees in the middle of the crater. He was breathing hard. Toad's eyes were wide with shock.

"That's…enough training for one day," Toad said. "Let's just take it easy for now."

"Fine," Kai said, feeling disappointed.

Zero was watching this through the trees. He was awe-struck by the scene he just watched.

"How…how did Kai get that strong?!" Zero thought. "I knew he was getting better, but this is beyond human limits!"

Kai and Toad then headed back to the village. They decided to go by Kolorado's hut to see if he and Hazel were done yet.

"EUREKA!!!" Kolorado shouted from inside his hut. "We've done it!"

Kai and Toad then rushed over to the hut. When they reached the hut, Zero and Serena were already there.

Just then, the door to the hut opened, and Hazel walked outside. She looked extremely tired.

"Did you stay up all night?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, but it worked," Hazel yawned. "We've just finished translating the writing. Come in."

Hazel then led the rest of the group into the hut. Inside, Kolorado was writing something on a piece of paper. He then folded it up, handed it to Hazel, and fell asleep.

"Let's just let him rest," Hazel said. "Let's go outside and read this."

They all then found a place to sit somewhere in the village. Hazel unfolded the piece of paper and began to read it.

"I'll just skip to a part we don't know yet," Hazel said. "Most of this stuff at the beginning is stuff we've already learned on our travels. I'll start with this.

"_After forging the seven emeralds and placing them on Angel Island, the Avians felt that they needed to create a colony on the earth to make sure that no one found out about the island._"

"So there was an ancient colony of Avians somewhere on the earth," Zero said. "Does it say where, exactly?"

"Let me see," Hazel said. "_In order to keep a close eye on the island, they placed their colony near the floating island_."

"That's not very helpful," Serena said. "That vase has to be extremely ancient. Over the years, a floating island would probably drift from its original location."

"True," Zero said. "It is said that Angel Island slowly drifts through the sky. Finding its original location will be next to impossible."

"Well that sucks," Kai said. "Is there anything else on the pot?"

"Well let's see," Hazel said. "Look, it goes into detail about the emerald's power!"

"Well, spit it out!" Toad exclaimed. "What does it say?"

"_Because the emeralds were forged of a royal Avian's feathers, they hold power unlike anything else in the world_," Hazel read. "_They can serve a multitude of purposes. One emerald can double the strength of anyone. When they are gathered together, however, they can transfer their full power into the wielder. Plus, the emeralds, when gathered together, can bring out any dormant power that lies within a warrior._"

"No wonder everyone wants them," Kai said. "Zant must want it so he can become strong enough to infect the world with twilight, just like the dream I had said before this journey started."

"I wonder why Eggman wants them?" Toad asked. "He's not a warrior."

"They emeralds can transfer their power when they are gathered together," Zero answered. "He must want them so he can transfer their power into one of his machines."

"This just proves that we absolutely can't give the emeralds to anyone!" Kai exclaimed. "No matter what, we have to get all seven of the emeralds! Then we can store them somewhere completely hidden from the world. Let's get moving!"

"Not so fast!" a familiar voice shouted from above them.

They looked up. They saw Bowser in a strange clown-faced copter descending toward them. Kamek was flying on his broomstick.

"How many times do we have to kick your butt before you get the message?" Kai asked.

"I'm here to defeat you and steal your emeralds!" Bowser shouted.

Bowser then jumped out of his copter and landed right in front of Kai and his friends.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you're gonna get!" Kai said. "Guys, let me handle this one."

Kai then stepped forward and drew his sword.

"You're going to want their help when I'm through with you," Bowser said.

"I kicked your butt before," Kai said. "And I've gotten much stronger since then."

"I guessed that you would," Bowser said. "That's why I prepared a little surprise for you."

Bowser then pulled out a strange, green cube with an exclamation point on it. Bowser then crushed it in his hands. Suddenly, Bowser's body became encased in metal.

"Metal armor?" Kai asked. "That's no problem. I'll just crack that armor of yours."

"Don't be impatient," Bowser said. "I've still got another surprise for you."

Bowser then pulled out a strange, glowing orb. While Kai wasn't impressed, his friends were surprised by the strange object.

"What is that?" Kai asked.

"You're about to find out," Bowser said.

"Kai, get out of there!" Toad shouted. "That's a Super Sphere!!!"

"A what?" Kai asked.

Bowser slammed the orb into his metal chest. Suddenly, Bowser began to glow with a white light. His form began to change. His horns grew, his claws and fangs became longer, and the spikes on his shell became larger. Bowser also began to grow larger and larger. Once he stopped, the light faded. He had become a metal Giga-Bowser.

"This is my ultimate weapon," Giga-Bowser said. "The Super Sphere multiplies my strength and endurance. Plus, it transforms me into my ultimate form. You will fall, Kamai!"

"We're coming Kai!" Hazel shouted.

Kamek flew in between Kai and his friends. Kamek then cast a spell using his wand. A strange, red barrier surrounded Kai's friends. Zero used his **Fireball Jutsu** on the wall, but it was ineffective.

"This battle is between the master and his target," Kamek said. "You won't interfere."

Kai's friends continued to attack the barrier in an attempt to escape.

"Let them out!" Kai shouted.

"They won't escape unless you either break the spell, or hand over the Chaos Emeralds," Kamek said. "Since the first one is impossible unless I am either weakened or out of range, you are out of luck."

Kai jumped toward Kamek and swung his blade. Kamek just flew upwards and dodged Kai's attack. Almost immediately after Kai landed on the ground, Giga-Bowser swung his claws and knocked Kai away. Kai hit a tree and broke it. Kai then stood up.

"I'm surprised your bones didn't break," Giga-Bowser said. "I guess I went too easy on you."

Kai then charged forward and slashed at Giga-Bowser. He made contact, but he didn't leave a single mark.

Giga-Bowser took this opportunity to grab Kai and throw him upwards. Kai soon began to fall down toward Giga-Bowser. Giga-Bowser then punched Kai and slammed him into the ground. He then kicked Kai into a wall. Kai painfully stood up. He was breathing hard.

"This is no fun," Giga-Bowser said. "Let's raise the stakes. Kamek, now!"

"Yes, my lord," Kamek said.

Kamek held his staff into the air. The staff began to glow, and the barrier gradually began to contract.

"No!" Hazel shouted.

"We'll be crushed in no time!" Toad cried.

"We have to get out of here!" Zero shouted.

They all began to attack the barrier even harder than before. Kai felt helpless as his friends were slowly being crushed.

"Now swordsman, you have a choice," Giga-Bowser said. "Tell me where the emeralds are or…"

Kai glared at Giga-Bowser with anger more powerful than he ever felt before. Kamek began to cower as he watched Kai's magical aura rapidly rise.

The power rose and rose, but it stayed within Kai's body.

"That's odd," Toad said. "When Kai and I trained this morning, Kai's power knocked down everything within the area. But now, it's like his power is staying put."

"Let's worry about being crushed," Zero said. "Start attacking the barrier."

Kai's magical aura reached its peak without escaping his body. White wings began to form on Kai's back. By the time Kai's wings were fully-grown, his magical power was overwhelming.

"What the?" Kamek asked.

In a blink of an eye, Kai disappeared. He reappeared right behind Kamek and slashed him. Kamek fell to the ground and lost his wand. Kai's friends were freed from their deathtrap. Kai then glared toward Giga-Bowser.

"Now it's your turn," Kai said menacingly.

Giga-Bowser began to shake.

"I-I'm not afraid," Giga-Bowser stuttered. "I'm in-invincible!"

Kai then charged straight for Giga-Bowser. After reaching halfway across to Giga-Bowser, he disappeared. Giga-Bowser looked around for Kai, but he couldn't find him. Kai reappeared right behind him. Kai then grabbed his tail and began to spin.

Kai and Giga-Bowser spun so fast that a small whirlwind was formed. Kai then threw him upwards. As Giga-Bowser flew higher and higher, Kai began to charge his sword with a green and light-blue energy. Soon, Giga-Bowser fell toward him. Once he was within range, Kai slashed Giga-Bowser with his **Shining Overdrive**. In a flash of green and light-blue light, Giga-Bowser transformed back into his original, non-metallic self.

"Lord Bowser!" Kamek shouted.

Kai's wings disappeared as Kamek parked the Koopa Copter right next Bowser. Kamek then used his wand to carry Bowser into the copter. They then flew away. Once they were out of sight, Kai fell over. He then fell asleep.

When Kai woke up, he found himself lying in bed in a hut. Hazel was in a chair right next to him.

"Hazel, what happened?" Kai asked.

"You grew wings and kicked Bower's butt," Hazel said. "You also saved us."

"Now I remember," Kai said. "What happened afterwards?"

"You fell asleep from exhaustion, and we carried you here," Hazel said. "Chief Yoshi made a bed for you. I mended the many bone-fractures you had with my spells."

"Thanks," Kai said. "What time is it?"

"Right around dinner time," Hazel said. "Serena, Zero, and Toad are getting dinner ready."

"Great," Kai said. "I'm starving."

Kai and Hazel then walked outside. Everyone, including Chief Yoshi and Kolorado, was waiting for them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there, old boy," Kolorado said. "I might've been able to help."

"Yeah right," Kai thought.

"You have faced trial after trial," Chief Yoshi said. "You truly are a warrior of legend."

"Let's just eat," Toad said.

Kai looked at his dinner. They had prepared soup using both ingredients found on the ship and those found on the island. Kai grabbed a bowl of soup and began to eat.

"So I guess we won't be leaving until tomorrow morning," Kai said.

"It's usually best to rest after a great battle," Zero said. "But we'll leave first thing in the morning."

They spent the rest of the night enjoying their dinner and sitting around a fire. The following morning, Kai and his friends boarded the ship. The whole village and Kolorado were seeing them off.

"So you're staying," Kai said.

"Of course," Kolorado said happily while holding the vase. "If a treasure like this vase was here, who knows what else can be found on this island!"

"Alright," Kai said. "Have fun."

"Good luck, my friends!" Chief Yoshi exclaimed. "May you complete your journey safely."

Everyone waved good-bye as the S.S. Mushroom left the island and headed straight for the Delfigalo Continent. After sailing for a long while, they docked in Central Square's docks. They then left the ship and activated the ship's magical barrier.

"Where's our next stop?" Kai asked.

"Let me see," Toad said as he pulled out the radar.

He looked at the radar and looked confused.

"What is it?" Zero asked.

"According to the radar, Eggman's three emeralds are…right here," Toad answered.

"Here?" Kai asked. "Impossible."

Suddenly, four, strange, metal rings ensnared Kai's friends. The rings drained them of their power.

"Guys!" Kai shouted.

"It seems that you increased your ranks since the last time we met," a familiar voice said from above him.

Kai looked towards where the voice came from. Eggman was in a flying mobile that was much like Bowser's copter, only without the clown face.

"Eggman!" Kai shouted.

"I only prepared four of my energy-draining rings," Eggman said. "No matter. As long as I get what I want, I'm fine with four out of five!"

Eggman began to float toward a large, red airship that hovered above them. Kai's friends were being pulled upwards by the rings. Toad managed to get one arm out of the ring. He pulled out the Chaos Radar.

"Kai, catch!" Toad shouted as he threw the radar toward Kai.

Kai caught it and looked up towards Toad.

"As long as you have that, you can follow us!" Toad shouted. "You have to hurry!"

Kai's friends then entered the airship. The airship then flew away.

Kai's energy began to rise as Kai clenched his right fist in anger. Kai glared toward the airship, and his wings began to form. Kai then began to fly toward the airship. As he chased it, Kai grew closer and closer to the airship. Eggman watched from a screen in the computer room. Kai's friends could also see what was happening.

"Persistent whelp," Eggman said. "This will take care of you."

Eggman then pressed a button on the keyboard. Dozens of cannons appeared on the airship. They all faced towards Kai.

"Fire all missiles!" Eggman shouted.

Every cannon fired black missiles that all shot toward Kai.

"Oh shit," Kai said.

Every missile hit their mark. A large explosion rose from where the missiles hit.

"KAI!!!" Hazel cried, tears forming in her eyes.

Kai's wings had disappeared. He began to plummet toward the earth.

"I win!!!" Eggman shouted. "I win!!!"

Kai's friends were saddened by the scene they just saw. While Zero, Toad, and Serena managed to keep their cool, Hazel completely burst into tears.

The airship began to fly away. It disappeared into the clouds.


	29. Chapter 29: Must get to Eggman!

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 29: Must get to Eggman!**

"I wonder when he'll wake up," a voice said in the darkness.

Kai's eyes slowly opened. When his vision became focused, he saw Tails hanging over him.

"Tails!" Kai exclaimed as he sat up.

He looked around. He discovered that he was in Tails' Workshop.

"How did I get here?" Kai asked.

Kai then felt a splitting headache.

"You had some nasty bruises," Tails said. "You're lucky that Sonic and I were test-flying the Tornado."

"Sonic?" Kai asked.

The door to the workshop opened. A blue hedgehog with red and white shoes walked in. This hedgehog (for those extremely few who don't know) was Sonic the Hedgehog.

"So he's finally awake," Sonic said.

Sonic walked over to them.

"So you're Sonic," Kai said.

"That's right," Sonic said. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. You must be Kai."

"How'd you know?" Kai asked.

"Tails told me that you and your friends were after the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic said. "So I'm guessing that Eggman's after you."

"Yeah," Kai said.

Kai then remembered how Eggman kidnapped his friends and shot him down.

"Damn him!" Kai shouted as he slammed his fist down.

"You sound pissed," Sonic said. "What happened?"

Kai then explained the whole story to Sonic and Tails.

"I just wish I got him," Kai said. "But he shot me down with those stupid missiles."

"We'll help you out," Tails said. "It probably be best if you don't try to fly."

"Maybe," Kai said. "I think my wings are clipped until I get some of my strength back. I'll be able to fight, but that's it."

"Then we'll take the Tornado," Sonic said. "Tails, let's go!"

"Right!" Tails exclaimed.

Tails then began to prep the workshop for liftoff. Soon, the runway appeared. They all then boarded the Tornado.

"Next stop, Eggman's Flying Fortress," Tails said. "We have liftoff in 10…9…"

"Just fly already," Sonic said.

"Fine," Tails said as he pressed a few buttons.

The Tornado then shot across the runway and flew straight into the air. Kai examined the Chaos Radar as they flew.

"Where do we go?" Tails asked.

"Um…left!" Kai exclaimed.

The Tornado flew to the left.

"No! Right!" Kai shouted.

"Which is it?!" Tails asked.

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "Toad is usually the one who uses this thing."

Despite the crappy navigating that Kai gave, they eventually caught up with Eggman.

Meanwhile, Eggman was enjoying his victory while he checked the radar for any sign of the final Chaos Emerald.

"Where is the last emerald?" Eggman thought. "It seems that it has disappeared from the face of the planet."

Meanwhile, Zero was meditating, Toad and Serena were calmly sitting in their cages, and Hazel…was yelling.

"You monster!" Hazel shouted. "You killed Kai! When I get out of here, I'll…"

"Hazel, shut up," Zero said. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Don't you tell me to shut up!" Hazel shouted. "Kai is dead! Are you that heartless?!"

Tears were still in her eyes.

"If you'll be quiet, you might calm down," Zero calmly said. "Think about it, Kai's survived worse than a fall. If we break down like you're doing now, we won't have the strength to fight when we do make our escape. So just calm down."

"F-fine," Hazel said as she wiped her eyes clean.

"He's not exactly nice, but he knows just what to say," Serena said.

"That's Zero for you," Toad said.

Suddenly, a red light began to flash on and off continuously while a siren blared. Eggman started to examine the computer.

"What's going on?!" Eggman shouted. "Bring visuals on screen!"

Kai's friends looked toward Eggman and his computer. The screen showed the sky from behind them. There was a small blue dot on the screen. Eggman zoomed the camera in. The screen now showed a close-up view of the Tornado.

"Kai!" Hazel happily exclaimed.

"He's alive!" Toad and Serena exclaimed together.

"Told ya," Zero said.

The Tornado rapidly flew straight toward the airship.

"He's like a cockroach!" Eggman shouted. "Not only that, he's brought that hedgehog with him! It's time I exterminate that roach."

Eggman quickly pressed many keys on the keyboard that was connected to the computer. The cannons that shot Kai down earlier rose out of the ship and pointed toward the Tornado.

"FIRE!!!" Eggman shouted.

All of the cannons launched their missiles.

"You aren't getting me twice with the same trick," Kai said as he grabbed a handful of bomb-rocks.

Kai then threw his bomb-rocks straight toward the many missiles. He managed to destroy most of the missiles, but there were still more coming.

"Fire lasers!" Tails shouted.

His ship fired their lasers at the missiles and destroyed them.

"Damn!" Eggman shouted. "But I still have more tricks up my sleeve. Let's see if they can handle my Kamikaze Egg-bots."

Eggman then pressed another key on the keyboard. A small portion of the airship's roof opened up. There were hundreds of robots with wings, jets, and bombs flying straight out of this opening.

"Incoming!" Kai shouted.

"I've got this," Sonic said.

Sonic then jumped straight toward the first robot.

"**Sonic Wind**!" Sonic shouted.

He curled up into a ball and began to spin. He then shot from robot to robot and destroyed then one-by-one until they were all gone. He then landed on the wing of the Tornado.

"That was awesome!" Kai exclaimed.

Sonic just gave Kai the thumbs-up. They continued to fly straight toward the airship.

"It's like they're invincible!" Eggman shouted. "I have one shot left. It's time for the Beam Cannon."

Eggman then hit some more keys. Then, the back of the airship expanded. It revealed a cannon as large as a building.

A large ball of energy began to form at the cannon's opening.

"Tails, what is that thing?" Sonic asked.

"It's a large energy cannon," Tails said. "If that thing hits us, we're done for."

"THEN DODGE THAT THING!!!" Kai shouted.

"It's time for jet mode," Tails said. "You guys might want to jump."

Tails then pressed a red button. Kai and Sonic then jumped into the air. The wings on the Tornado began to form an x-shape. Its tail then rose higher up. Kai and Sonic then landed on the plane's wings.

"Cool," Kai said.

"Let's move it!" Tails shouted.

The plane then shot straight upward. The energy cannon fired its blast. The Tornado barely managed to dodge it.

"Let's take that thing down," Tails said.

Tails then fired many small energy blasts toward the cannon. After a while, the cannon broke down. Tails, Kai, and Sonic took this opportunity to fly toward the airship.

"Why didn't you do this before?" Kai asked. "This mode's awesome!"

"Well, I haven't installed any landing gears into this mode yet," Tails said.

"And that means?" Kai asked.

"That means we're gonna crash," Sonic said.

The plane then hit the deck of the airship. When they crashed, Kai, Tails, and Sonic fell out of the plane. They bounced on the deck.

"That hurt," Kai said.

Tails got up and ran straight for the wreaked Tornado.

"This will take a while to fix," Tails said. "You two go on ahead. I'll stay here and try to repair the plane so we can make our escape."

"Good idea, Tails," Sonic said. "Let's go, Kai."

Kai and Sonic then rushed toward where they believed Eggman was. They made their way to the inside of the airship. As was expected by a machine-obsessed maniac, the inside of the airship was filled with computers, unfinished robots, and more.

"So where do we go from here?" Kai asked.

"Who knows?" Sonic asked. "Whenever I invade Eggman's bases, I just make a wild guess."

"Ok," Kai said. "So let's get moving."

Kai and Sonic then began to run deeper within the sky fortress. Meanwhile, Eggman was scanning the computer for the intruders.

"Where the heck are they?" Eggman thought. "There we are!"

He found a pair of red dots running across the maze shown on the screen.

"Bring camera 27 on screen!" Eggman shouted.

Suddenly, the screen showed a hallway that Sonic and Kai were running through.

"Excellent," Eggman said. "They are heading straight for my robot room. They will be overwhelmed by my army!"

Kai and Sonic eventually reached a red door with Eggman's logo on it.

"Let's go," Kai said.

They opened the door. There were about two hundred robots in a large, circular room. On the other side was a second door.

"_Intruders detected_!" several robots shouted at different times.

"This is gonna be fun," Kai said.

Kai and Sonic then began to fight the various robots in there. Sonic curled into a ball and bounced from robot to robot. Kai slashed the robots one by one. When a whole group of them surrounded Kai, he performed a spinning slash and knocked them away. Soon, a pair of large, black robots came forward carrying axes.

The robots swung their axes toward Kai and Sonic, who managed to dodge the strikes.

"Kai, I'll take these two," Sonic said. "You go ahead and take down egg-head."

"Alright," Kai said.

Kai then ran right past the robots and walked through the second door.

"Alright," Sonic said. "Come and get me!"

The robots charged forward toward Sonic. Meanwhile, Kai was running through different hallways filled with red doors. Eventually, he reached a blue one with Eggman's logo on it.

"This might be a trap," Kai said. "But I don't give a care."

Kai then opened the door. He entered a large, circular room that was as large as an arena. This room had a pungent smell of motor oil. The floor had a gigantic Eggman logo that covered it. On the other side of the arena was another blue door just like the one he just entered.

"I've seen this kind of thing before," Kai said. "The moment I step forward, both doors will lock."

Kai then stepped forward. One second later, two metal gates blocked the doors.

"Now comes the bad-guy," Kai said.

Suddenly, Eggman came down in his small, copter thing.

"Hello, Kai Kamai," Eggman said.

"Alright, Eggman!" Kai shouted. "Where are my friends!"

"Their waiting beyond this door," Eggman said. "If you want them back, you'll have to beat my latest invention!"

Eggman pulled out a small remote control with a red button on it. Eggman pushed the red button, and the room began to quake. From the ceiling, a large, metallic snake with a hole in its head slowly descended down on to the floor. Eggman's copter fit neatly into the hole. Once Eggman was connected, the snake began to glow a blue light.

"Meet the Egg Anaconda!" Eggman shouted.

Kai watched as the Snake's head rose into the air.

"Nice pet," Kai said. "What does it do?"

"You're about to find out," Eggman said.

A small, clear dome covered Eggman to protect him from attacks. The snake then charged straight for Kai. Kai dodged the attack and countered with a slash. Unfortunately, his attack did nothing.

"What?!" Kai exclaimed.

"This snake is made of a steel that can't be broken easily," Eggman said. "Your puny butter-knife can't slice through my machine!"

The Egg Anaconda then opened its mouth. It's large fangs shot out like missiles toward Kai. Kai managed to dodge these missiles and watched as they hit the wall and exploded. The Egg Anaconda then grew two more fangs to replace these two.

"Let's see your snake take this!" Kai shouted as he jumped back into a fighting stance.

He held out his right hand and began to charge his magical power. Unfortunately, he could only get enough energy to create a **Dragon Pulse** the size of a ping-pong ball.

"This sucks," Kai said.

The Egg Anaconda then charged straight for Kai. Kai barely dodged it this time.

"I still don't have enough spell energy to cast a spell," Kai thought. "And I can't break that thing with only my sword. I'm screwed!"


	30. Chapter 30: How to beat an Egg

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 30: How to beat an Egg**

Kai's friends could only sit in their cages while Kai fought Eggman. Because of the rings around them, their energies had been completely drained. Plus, their hands were tied up. There seemed to be no hope of escape unless Kai won.

"We have to get out of here," Hazel said. "But how do we do it?"

"We have no magic, no tools, and no tricks," Toad said. "It's no use."

"If I could only reach my needles," Serena said.

Zero then looked around. Eggman had been dumb enough to leave no guards to watch them. He also noticed that there were no cameras.

"You'd think that a supposed 'genius' would guard his prisoners more carefully," Zero commented.

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked.

"It's time I revealed a new trick," Zero said.

Zero closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Hazel, Toad, and Serena just stared at him strangely as he did this. Soon, his eyes opened. A large burst of energy surrounded Zero and broke the ring around him. The rope that tied his wrists together was burned away by the energy. Zero then stood up. The rest of the group just stared at him.

"How…did…you…" Serena began.

"It's a jutsu I've been practicing," Zero said. "I gradually store chakra into a single point on my body and keep it there with a seal. I tend to do this when I'm meditating. I can release the seal whenever I need to without any hand-signs."

"So you can bring out this energy whenever you want?" Hazel asked.

"I can," Zero answered. "But it has its consequences."

Zero then unlocked his cage. He then freed the rest of the group. After that, he fell to his knees. He then coughed up blood.

"What's going on?!" Toad exclaimed.

"The pure power of the chakra I stored damaged my body badly," Zero said weakly. "That's why I never use it."

Hazel then began to heal Zero with her magic.

"He's right," Hazel said. "His body is damaged badly. I'll stay here and help heal him. You guys have to go ahead."

"Right," Toad and Serena agreed.

"Before you go, I have something for you," Hazel said.

Hazel then pulled out three vials of Honey Syrup.

"Use these to restore your energy," Hazel said. "Give the third one to Kai. He probably needs it more than us."

She handed the vials to Toad.

"True," Toad said. "Let's go."

Toad and Serena then rushed out of the room. They knew that they had to hurry.

Meanwhile, Kai was having trouble against Eggman and his new machine. Kai continued to dodge the missiles as they came at him. He also managed to dodge the snake when it charged for him. Soon, however, he was becoming tired.

"I can't keep this up forever," Kai thought.

The Egg Anaconda charged at Kai once again. This time, however, it made contact. Kai was blown straight into a wall. He coughed up blood as his body hit the wall.

"What's wrong, Kamai?" Eggman asked. "It seems that you've become weak. No matter. This is where it ends!"

The Egg Anaconda prepared for one final attack.

"**Thundaga**!!!" Toad shouted from behind the snake.

A huge bolt of lightning surrounded the Egg Anaconda. It froze in its place because of the lightning. Toad and Serena then ran up to Kai.

"Are you alright?" Serena asked.

"You're here!" Kai exclaimed weakly.

"First, take this," Toad said.

Toad then handed Kai the vial of Honey Syrup that Hazel gave him. Kai then drank the honey. He felt his energy return to him

"Where's Hazel and Zero?" Kai asked.

"Zero got hurt, and Hazel's helping him," Serena answered. "They're waiting for us."

Eggman's robot then regained its mobility.

"Damn you!" Eggman shouted. "I don't know how you escaped, but you'll soon wish that you didn't!"

The snake then charged for Kai, Toad, and Serena. The trio managed to dodged this attack.

"Does this thing have a weakness?" Toad asked as they ran.

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "I couldn't find anything."

"I think I may have an idea," Serena said. "The only part that's different from the rest is the dome on the head. If there is one, that's the weakness."

"Getting up there is the problem," Kai said.

"Leave that to me," Serena said. "You two distract him."

"Right," Kai and Toad agreed.

Serena then separated from the group. Kai and Toad began to blast Eggman's robot with different attacks that didn't affect the robot.

"You think that those simple attacks will beat me?!" Eggman exclaimed. "Ha! I laugh at your futile attempts."

"Have you ever heard of 'distraction'?" Serena asked from above him.

Eggman looked up. He saw that Serena was standing right over the dome.

"Get off from there!" Eggman shouted.

The robot started to move around, but Serena stood firmly in place. Serena then found what was holding the dome to the robot. She then began to break the hold with her knives. She soon sliced through it, and the dome opened.

Serena then pushed a large, red button on Eggman's control panel. The robot began to flail around. Serena was then flung off of the robot. It soon hit the ground. It's mouth opened up, revealing a large and red light.

"That's it!" Kai shouted.

Kai then charged his magical energy into his blade. With one swipe of his **Dragon Claw**, he destroyed the red light. The robot then fell to pieces. Eggman managed to escape the broken robot in his copter.

"Oh no you don't!" Serena shouted.

She threw five needles. They all hit the copter and became stuck in it. For some reason, the copter immediately stopped moving. When Eggman looked why, he realized that the needles had hit the main power source of the copter. Eggman fell to the ground, where Kai, Toad, and Serena surrounded him.

"Do you fools know what you've done?!" Eggman shouted.

"Kicked your butt and saved the day?" Kai asked.

"By knocking out my chair's main power source, you've doomed us all!" Eggman shouted. "It was the only thing keeping this ship in the air!"

The whole airship began to shake.

"Oh crap," Kai said.

"Well, I should say that you've doomed all but one of us," Eggman said.

He then pressed a button on a watch on his wrist. A red jetpack appeared on his back.

"See ya later," Eggman said.

He then flew away. Serena tried throwing her needles again, but this time she missed.

The whole airship continued to shake.

"Let's move!" Toad shouted. "Hazel and Zero are waiting for us! And we still need to grab the emeralds!"

The trio then ran through the second door, where Toad and Serena came in. Toad and Serena led Kai to the room where Hazel and Zero were waiting for them. Once they were inside, Toad immediately found the Chaos Emeralds and put them away.

"You've done enough," Kai said to Hazel. "I'll carry Zero out of here."

Hazel then helped Zero onto Kai's back. They then began to make their escape. They eventually reached the room where Kai left Sonic, who had already knocked down the two large robots.

"What took ya?" Sonic asked. "We got to run."

They all then continued through the airship. When they reached the outside, they noticed that the ship was descending rapidly. Tails was setting up the Tornado, which he had just finished fixing.

"Let's move!" Tails shouted.

"Not all of us will fit on there," Hazel said.

"She's right," Kai said. "Sonic, you and Tails escape on the Tornado. I've got an idea."

Kai then turned to face Hazel.

"Hazel, do you have enough energy to create a barrier?" Kai asked.

Hazel got Kai's message. Tails and Sonic then escaped on the Tornado. By the looks of things, they were going to hit the ocean soon. To the left of the ship, however, was dry land.

"We'll have to jump," Kai said. "Ready? GO!"

They all then ran for the left end of the ship. They then jumped off. Hazel then surrounded them with a spherical barrier. They then rolled through the air toward the land. The airship hit the ocean and created a huge wave that washed away part of the shore. When the round barrier hit the ground, Kai's group bounced through the barrier. The barrier bounced three more times before it broke. They then landed on the ground.

After a minute, Kai sat up.

"Is everyone alright?" Kai asked.

"I'm fine," Zero said.

"No broken bones here," Hazel declared.

"Only a splitting headache," Toad answered.

"That was a brilliant plan, Kai," Serena said.

They all then stood up. After wiping the dirt off of them, they just stared toward the airship for a minute. They then looked toward the sky and saw Sonic and Tails flying back to Tails' Workshop.

"We never got to thank them," Hazel said. "I guess we can do that later. Now, we did get all six of the emeralds, right?"

"Of course," Toad said. "I counted them myself."

Suddenly, a cold chill surrounded them. The clouds above them were turning black.

"Does anyone else have a bad feeling?" Kai asked.

The rest of the group nodded. Suddenly, they heard a maniacal laughter in the air. They looked around for the source of the laughter. They saw a tall man in armor and a robe. Though they had never seen this man before, Kai knew who he was.

"Zant," Kai said coldly.

"Thank you for gathering the emeralds for us," Zant said. "It would've been a hassle trying to get them myself."

"So you were watching us!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Exactly," Zant said. "After you defeated my servant at the tournament, Kai, I decided to let you get most of the emeralds. Not only would it make things easier for me, it allowed me to see just how strong you were. Now, hand them over."

"I'd sooner lick toe-jam!" Kai shouted.

"So be it," Zant said.

Kai drew his sword and charged forward. But when Kai was halfway from reaching Zant, his sword clashed with another. When Kai looked, he saw that Mr. L was in front of him.

"YOU!!!" Kai exclaimed angrily.

"Hello, Kai Kamai," Mr. L said. "Last time we fought, I underestimated you. This time, I'll just kill you on the spot!"

Mr. L then knocked Kai's sword away and slashed at him. Kai was blown backwards and onto his back. Mr. L then attempted a vertical slice to finish him, but Kai managed to knock him away with a tiny **Dragon Pulse**.

"So you've learned new tricks," Mr. L said.

"Damn," Kai thought. "I don't have any strength. I can only produce that much spell power."

Mr. L then charged forward.

"Stop," Zant commanded.

Mr. L then stopped in his tracks.

"Why, my lord?" Mr. L asked.

"If you fight now, you'll only awaken his true power," Zant said. "If we are to win, we must eliminate that power. Let me through."

Mr. L then stepped to the side. Zant then slowly walked toward Kai.

"We're coming!" Kai's friends shouted as they ran forward, drawing their weapons.

Zant just held out his right hand toward them. With a single burst of dark energy, he blew away Kai's friends. They passed out immediately. He then walked to Kai. Kai charged forward, but Zant just knocked Kai to the side. He then created a small, black crystal out of nowhere. He planted the crystal into Kai's head. Kai then fell to the floor.

Kai suddenly began to scream like a banshee while holding his head tightly. The pain was unbearable. Suddenly, he turned into his wolf form.

"In your beast form, you are unable to gain your full power," Zant said.

Kai then stood on his legs. He then charged forward for a bite. Zant just moved to the right, grabbed Kai's back, and threw him onto the ground. Kai then passed out.

"Mr. L," Zant said. "The mushroom is holding the emeralds in a brown sack. Take it from him."

"Yes," Mr. L said.

He then walked over to Toad and pulled out Toad's sack of emeralds. He then took them away.

"Now we need only one emerald," Zant said. "We must find it immediately."

"Right," Mr. L said.

Zant then disappeared in a black mist.

"See ya L-ater," Mr. L said to the unconscious Kai.

He then disappeared in the same black mist.


	31. Chapter 31: Creator of the Emeralds

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 31: Creator of the Emeralds**

"Kai, wake up," Hazel said as she shook the unconscious Kai.

Kai managed to opened his eyes. He then got up onto his four legs.

"I can't believe we lost," Toad said gloomily. "All six of the Chaos Emeralds, gone!"

Kai then looked down toward the ground in sadness.

"Don't worry, Kai," Hazel said. "I'm sure something good will happen."

"I'm not sure," Serena said. "I just can't see any light at the end of this tunnel."

"We still have one chance," Zero said. "Toad, check the Chaos Radar."

"Why?" Toad asked.

"Just do it," Zero replied.

Toad then checked the radar. He was shocked at what he saw.

"He's right!" Toad exclaimed. "There are still only six emeralds on the radar!"

"Which means that the one that's been missing is still missing," Zero said. "This proves that Zant never had it."

"So we still have a chance?" Hazel asked.

"If we can find an undetectable Chaos Emerald before Zant does," Toad said.

Kai then noticed a strange smell. He began to sniff into the air and closed his eyes. The scent formed a trail.

"What's wrong, Kai?" Toad asked.

Kai then rushed down the invisible trail.

"Follow that wolf!" Zero shouted.

Kai continued to rush down the trail only he could see. Soon, the trail came to an abrupt halt. There was nothing ahead of him.

Kai's friends then caught up to him.

"What's…going…on?" Toad panted.

Kai then slowly stepped forward. As he moved forward, he slowly disappeared. Kai's friends stared at this with amazement.

"What…where is Kai?!" Toad exclaimed.

Hazel then held out her right hand where Kai and walked. Her hand disappeared. She then pulled it back and it reappeared.

"There must be an invisible barrier here," Hazel said.

Hazel then walked forward and disappeared. One-by-one, the rest of the group did the same. Once inside, they saw something amazing. Beyond the invisible wall were the ruins of an ancient city. This city was made of the same metal as Kai's sword. As they looked around, they saw statues of winged people. They also saw a statue of the goddess.

"We've…we've found it!!!" Hazel exclaimed. "We found the ancient colony of the Avians!!! This is the archeological find of the century!!!"

Toad then looked at the Chaos Radar. Sure enough, the final emerald was shown on the radar now. It was somewhere within the city.

"The emerald's here!" Toad shouted happily. "We've found it!"

Kai then found the scent again. He began to follow the invisible trail once again.

"Where's Kai going?" Toad asked.

"Maybe he knows where the emerald is," Zero said. "Let's go."

They all then began to follow Kai. When they caught up with him, he was sitting in front of a large, white stone.

"What's with the rock?" Toad asked.

Kai then began to howl a strange tune. When he was done, a bright flash of light surrounded everything. When the light faded, everyone found that they were in a strange mountain range. There was a small hill where Kai's friends stood. Ahead of them were two large hills that faced each other. On one was Kai and the other…a golden wolf.

"What the?!" Toad exclaimed. "Why is there a golden wolf?!"

"That's strange," Zero said.

Kai and the golden wolf then began to howl the tune that Kai howled earlier together. Soon, the hills were filled with music.

"It's beautiful," Hazel said.

Soon, the howling ended. The golden wolf and Kai stood on their legs.

"You have arrived," a strange voice said from around the golden wolf.

"Is it talking?" Toad asked.

"It's telekinesis," Zero said. "It can talk to us through its mind."

"Once you regain your human form, return to the howling stone to learn your final lesson," the golden wolf continued. "You will find the means of returning to normal somewhere in the ruins."

A bright flash of light surrounded the room once again. When the light faded, they were all back in the ruins and the golden wolf was gone.

"That's odd," Hazel said. "Weren't we just in the mountains?"

"Strange things always happen when you hang out with Kai," Toad said.

Kai then looked toward Toad.

"Let me guess, we should look for the emerald now," Toad said.

Kai barked in agreement. Toad then pulled out the radar. He adjusted the radar to close range.

"It's not far," Toad said. "Let's move!"

Toad led the group this time. After a minute of running, they reached a large, golden wall. The wall was covered with writings and drawings.

"Amazing!" Hazel happily exclaimed.

"The Chaos Emerald's definitely here," Toad said. "But where is it?"

They all looked around. Kai then looked up and barked. When they all looked up, they saw that the Chaos Emerald was stuck high up in the wall.

"How do we reach that?" Toad asked. "It's not like we can fly."

Kai then looked around. He found a path that led upwards along the walls. Kai then began to climb upwards while his friends watched. When he was right above the emerald, he jumped. He then latched his teeth on the emerald. Then, gravity did the work and pulled the emerald out using Kai's weight. Zero and Hazel managed to catch Kai as he fell.

"Nice job," Toad said.

Kai then spat out the emerald. Toad picked it up, but it was covered in wolf slobber.

"Nasty!" Toad shouted as he tried to wipe the stuff off of his hands.

Soon, the carvings on the wall began to glow.

"Did we do something wrong?!" Toad exclaimed.

"Prepare for battle," Zero said.

They all then got into fighting stances. Soon, the light formed at a single point. The light then changed into a transparent, floating man with wings. The man had long, black hair and a battle scar on his right cheek. On his back was a sword, which was also transparent.

"It's a spirit," Zero said.

The man then floated down toward Kai.

"You who has been cursed, step forward," the spirit said.

Kai then did just as the spirit commanded. The spirit then placed his right hand on Kai's furry head.

"**RETURN**!!!" the spirit shouted.

A bright light flashed from where his hand touched Kai. Kai was blown backwards, but by the time he fell on the ground, he had returned to normal. The black crystal that Zant put in him earlier had fallen onto the ground.

"Quick, contain that crystal in a container of some kind!" the spirit shouted.

Hazel then pulled out a glass jar. Without touching the crystal, she scooped it into the jar and sealed the jar up with its lid. Kai was looking at himself to make sure he was truly back to normal.

"I'm not a wolf anymore!" Kai happily declared.

"Thank you very much," Hazel said as she bowed to the spirit.

"No thanks are needed," the spirit said. "It was merely an anti-curse spell."

"I've got a question: just who are you?" Serena asked.

"I am glad you asked," the spirit said. "I am Garamond, general of the queen's army and the forger of the Chaos Emeralds."

They then jumped back in surprise.

"You…forged the emeralds?!" Toad shouted.

"It's something I'm not particularly proud of," Garamond said gloomily. "My blunder has brought much pain to the world."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked. "If you mean Zant, we're going to stop him."

"It is not only that," Garamond said. "It is time that I told you an ancient tale of one man's mistake and its toll on the world. It all begins after the battle between the Lord of Darkness and the Chosen Warrior of Light…"

Then a flashback began. It was right after the Lord of Darkness was sealed away into the staff. The Goddess was beginning to fade away. Garamond ran straight toward his dying queen.

"Your majesty!" Garamond shouted.

"Thank you for all of your help, general," the Goddess said weakly. "Without you, this victory wouldn't have happened. Thank you very much."

She then faded away. Garamond could only watch as she disappeared. When she was gone, only seven of her rainbow feathers remained. Each feather was a different color.

Garamond's army then ran straight toward him.

"General, what are your orders?" a soldier asked.

"Bury the dead and rescue the wounded," Garamond answered. "I'll help you as soon as possible."

The army then split up into groups and began to follow Garamond's orders. Garamond then picked up the seven feathers.

The flashback then skips to sometime within the near future. It shows a council of Avians discussing what they would do next. Garamond was among the members of the council.

"We have to prepare ourselves just in case this happens again," one Avian said. "How do we do this?"

"We must build up our army to become stronger!" another Avian suggested.

"It doesn't matter how strong our army is if we fight someone like that again," a third Avian said.

Then, the whole council began to argue about each other's plans. The elder Avian, who had a long, grey beard and grey hair, stood up.

"**SILENCE**!!!" he bellowed.

The whole room became silent.

"We won't get anywhere if we don't have order," the elder said. "I wish to hear the idea of our dear general."

Garamond was surprised to hear him mentioned. He hadn't even spoken yet.

"How did you…" Garamond asked.

"I've raised you since you were a child," the elder said. "I know when something is on your mind. Please give us your idea."

Everyone then looked toward Garamond. Garamond then pulled out the seven feathers he had gathered from the battlefield.

"These are the feathers of our queen," Garamond said. "They had remained when she was taken by the cold hand of death. These feathers retain some of her power."

"What do you intend to do with them?" one Avian asked.

"If we can convert the feathers into a form we can use, then we can have the queen's power when evil strikes once more," Garamond said. "Maybe we can convert them into crystals. Our greatest blacksmith can do the job."

"How do we control such an unstable power?" the first Avian asked.

"The metal that was used to forge the sword of our greatest warrior has a magical property that can control the power of the emeralds," Garamond answered. "We can convert the metal into a much larger emerald."

Many members of the council began to agree with this plan.

"I, as well as three of my most trustworthy men, will hide the crystals in a place only we will know of," Garamond said. "This will prevent anyone from becoming corrupt with power."

The council continued to agree.

"Then it is decided," the elder said. "We shall forge these 'magical emeralds'. All who agree, say aye!"

The whole council said aye together.

"It's unanimous," the elder said. "Garamond, begin this project of yours."

The flashback then ended.

"For half of a year, we worked on the emeralds," Garamond narrated.

"That sounds great," Toad said. "How was it a blunder?"

"Let me finish the story," Garamond said. "As I said, after half of a year, we finished the project. The next step was finding a place to store the emeralds where they would be safe forever…"

Another flashback began. It showed Garamond and three of his men flying around the globe, looking for someplace safe.

"We searched for a whole week before we decided," the present Garamond narrated. "The place we picked, however, was anything but safe."

The flashback now showed Garamond and his men sitting at a table with Pachacamac, the chief of the Echidnas.

"Why should I trust you," Pachacamac asked. "You are outsiders. Outsiders have given us nothing but grief and pain."

"We Avians are a peace-loving race," Garamond said. "We wish of nothing but to bring complete peace to the world. Isn't that what you want? Peace for your people? Peace for your family?"

Pachacamac looked over to his sick wife and his baby girl. He then began to think over this idea.

"I agree," Pachacamac eventually said. "But there is one condition: you must keep my tribe safe."

"We already have a plan for that," Garamond said. "Follow me, Chief."

Pachacamac followed Garamond and his soldiers to a strange shrine that Garamond had built. He had placed the Master Emerald there.

"What is this?" Pachacamac asked.

"This is the same kind of shrine that keeps my people's kingdom in the sky," Garamond said. "It is a bit archaic, however. It needs a continuous power source to keep it afloat. That's what the large emerald is for."

"What do you mean?" Pachacamac asked.

"Watch what happens when I place the seven magical emeralds around the Master Emerald," Garamond replied.

He then placed the Chaos Emeralds on the seven pedestals that surrounded the Master Emerald. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Pachacamac noticed that a strange crack was surrounding his land. Soon, his land separated from the rest of the land and floated into the air.

"Now that your island is afloat, your people are invulnerable to attack," Garamond said. "Please enjoy your peace."

Garamond and Pachacamac then shook hands.

"I believed that this peace could last forever," the present Garamond narrated. "But I was wrong."

The flashback moved to fourteen years into the future. Pachacamac had gathered his army.

"Even though we have peace, we have to rely on the Avians for our supplies!" Pachacamac shouted. "If they wanted, they could cut off our supplies and take over! We must stop them before this happens. My plan is to use the power of the emeralds that they handed to us against them! Who's with me?!"

The whole army shouted in agreement. Tikal had overheard this and ran to the shrine where the emeralds were held. Pachacamac's army began to march to the shrine. They eventually neared the shrine. Tikal then stepped into their path.

"Father, please!" Tikal pleaded. "You still have a chance to stop! The Avians are kind to us!"

"Haven't I told you to get out of my way?!" Pachacamac shouted. "I am the Chief of our tribe. My word is absolute!"

"Mother wouldn't have wanted this!" Tikal cried.

Pachacamac was angered by this. He punched Tikal away. Tears then formed in her eyes.

"Now we enter the shrine," Pachacamac said. "Kill anything in your path."

Tikal's eyes widened in fear. She could only watch as Pachacamac's army killed every Chao that was in their way.

"FATHER, STOP!!!" Tikal cried.

Suddenly, the water that surrounded the shrine began to rise. It took the form of a liquid, human-like creature called Chaos. Chaos stood in Pachacamac's path.

"Out of my way, you abomination!" Pachacamac shouted.

Chaos then absorbed all seven of the Chaos Emeralds and became a large, water dragon, Perfect Chaos. Garamond, who had just learned that Pachacamac was plotting against his people, flew down in time to see what was happening. Perfect Chaos wiped away Pachacamac and his army. He then moved to the village and began to destroy it.

"That evil chief deserved this, but not his people," Garamond said.

He then saw the crying Tikal. He flew down to her.

"You must be Tikal," Garamond said.

"Yes," Tikal answered through her tears.

"Do you wish to save what's left of your home, no matter what the cost?" Garamond asked.

"I'll do anything to save my people and the young Chao," Tikal answered.

"Then I will help you," Garamond said. "But I will tell you what I'm going to do. In order to seal that abomination into the Master Emerald, you must sacrifice yourself. Do you still want to do it?"

"I will," Tikal said.

"Then I will begin," Garamond said.

Garamond then focused his magical energy into Tikal. A large, golden beam of light shot from her chest and hit Perfect Chaos. He was then absorbed into the light. The light then shot toward the Master Emerald. The Master Emerald completely absorbed the light. Garamond held Tikal's lifeless body in his hands. He took her body with him to the village. He looked around and saw that a few Echidnas remained.

"These pure souls were spared the rampage of Chaos," Garamond said. "They will remain as the guardians of the emerald where Chaos was sealed."

He then flew to the shrine of the Chaos Emeralds. He picked up all of the Chaos Emeralds.

"These crystals caused this destruction," Garamond said. "I must separate them, so nothing like this will ever happen again."

Garamond then used his magic to spread the Chaos Emeralds across the globe. He then stared toward the lifeless Tikal.

"Your noble actions have allowed you to be buried among the heroes of my people," Garamond said. "May you rest in peace…"

The flashback ended.

"That's so sad," Hazel cried quietly.

"If I had not made that blunder, none of that destruction would've happened," Garamond said. "Then I made another blunder and allowed what is happening now to happen. I feel that the world will never see peace."

"Well you're wrong," Kai said. "My friends and I, as well as the many other heroes in the world, will bring peace to this world, even if the peace is only temporary."

"I trust you, Kai Kamai," Garamond said. "Please stop the darkness from spreading. It is the only way I can rest in peace."

"We'll stomp that Zant!" Toad exclaimed.

"Zant is not your true enemy," Garamond said. "I have watched over the world from these ruins. Zant is merely a pawn of the real evil in the world."

"If it's not Zant, who is the bad guy?" Kai asked.

"I'm am sorry," Garamond said weakly. "I am no longer able to talk to you. Farewell."

Garamond disappeared.

"So Zant isn't the real evil?" Hazel asked. "Then the only question is…"

"…who is?" Zero finished.

They just stood there, contemplating this strange new fact.


	32. Chapter 32: Gathering the Team

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 32: Gathering the Team**

They had just left Garamond's room when Kai realized that he still needed to finish his training.

"You guys go ahead," Kai said. "I'll be right back."

Kai then rushed to where the howling stone was. Kai's friends decided to head to the exit of the ruins. When Kai reached the stone, the golden wolf was waiting for him. Kai knew what was going to happen next. The wolf pounced on him, and a bright light filled the area. When the light faded, Kai was back in the strange field where all of his training has taken place. The golden wolf transformed into the hero spirit.

"It's time for the final training to begin," the hero spirit said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Kai said.

"Then I shall teach you the final technique," the hero spirit said. "This final move is very destructive, but it drains you of most of your energy. The move is called the** Draco Meteor**."

"How does it work?" Kai asked.

"I will demonstrate," the hero spirit replied.

Suddenly, a target appeared out of nowhere. The hero spirit then held his sword above his head, as if he was going to perform a vertical strike. While he did this, he charged a white energy into his sword, much like the energy used for the **Dragon Claw**.

He then performed a vertical strike onto the ground. The energy he charged turned into a shockwave that shot straight toward the target. When the shockwave hit, there was absolutely nothing left of the target, not even scrapes of wood.

"Whoa," Kai said.

"You only have one shot at this move until you are drained," the hero spirit said. "But of course, this may not apply to you when you are in your Avian form."

"Whoa," Kai said.

"Since you probably know how it works by watching me, I want you to demonstrate," the hero spirit said.

Kai then prepared a vertical strike. He charged the energy just like the hero spirit said. Another target appeared ahead of Kai. Kai then slammed his sword onto the ground. He then created a shockwave just like the spirit did, and destroyed the target.

"Congratulations," the hero spirit said. "You have learned the final move. I have nothing left to teach you."

"I've got a question: why did you teach me these moves?" Kai asked.

"I guess you deserve an explanation," the hero spirit said. "I was once a great swordsman. I had perfected the most difficult moves in the world. But before I could pass my moves on to a student, I passed away. I had to wait for a worthy student to appear before I could pass on to the afterlife. I thank you, Kai Kamai. Use the moves I taught you well."

The hero spirit then walked away. As he moved away, the bright light completely engulfed the field. When the light faded, Kai returned to the ruins.

"Thank you, sensei," Kai thought.

Kai then ran straight to where his friends were waiting for him.

"I hope you learned something useful," Toad said.

"You could say that," Kai said. "So, let's get moving to Zant!"

"That's not wise," Zero said.

They all looked toward Zero.

"Why?" Toad asked.

"Zant took us all down single-handedly," Zero answered. "Plus, I'm sure he has an army of twilight creatures waiting for him. So we should gather some allies."

"A plan would be to at least double our ranks," Hazel said. "But just who do we invite?"

They all stood there and thought about this for a minute.

"I've got it!" Kai shouted. "I know who!"

"Who?" Zero asked.

"I'll reveal that later," Kai said. "Zero, do your dragons know where everyone we've met is?"

"They share the same memories as I," Zero said. "If it's anyone I know, then they will know them as well."

"Good," Kai said.

Kai then pulled out five pieces of paper. He scribbled something on each of the pieces of paper.

"Zero, summon a dragon that can fly fast," Kai said.

"Right," Zero said as he bit his right thumb and prepared his hand-signs. "I've been practicing how to summon just the dragon. **Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu**!!!"

Zero then slammed his right hand on the ground. A seal appeared from his hand, and a cloud of smoke rose from the seal. What came out was a little…disappointing.

When the smoke faded, a small dragon that barely reached Kai's knees appeared from the seal. He had extremely tiny wings. He looked up at Kai with his big eyes.

"CUTE!!!" Hazel exclaimed.

"He may be small, but he's fast," Zero said.

"Fine," Kai said.

He handed the small dragon the five pieces of paper.

"Be Mercury, little fella," Kai said as the dragon read the pieces of paper.

The dragon then saluted Kai. It prepared for takeoff. Suddenly, its wings grew to the size of a normal dragon's. It then shot into the air like a rocket.

"Who did you call?" Zero asked.

"Just wait," Kai said. "I told them just where we are. We just have to be patient."

They all sat just outside of the barrier. Soon, the sun began to sink.

"Just where are they?" Zero asked.

"Be patient," Kai repeated. "They'll be here any minute."

They all looked up toward the sky. Suddenly, five figures appeared in the sky.

"Whoa!" everyone but Kai exclaimed when they realized who Kai had called.

The largest figure wasn't a person, but an airplane. Sonic was riding on the Tornado while Tails drove. The figure to the right was Alakazam using his psychic powers to float. Further right was Pikachu, who was floating because of Alakazam's powers.

To the left of the plane was Mario, who used his super cape to fly. The furthest figure to the left was Metaknight, who flew using his wings.

After a short while, Zero's small dragon shot right past them and reached Zero's lap.

"That little guy's fast," Kai said.

All six of the allies landed right in front of Kai.

"I hope you didn't mind," Sonic said. "I always bring Tails with me."

"No problem," Kai said. "I'm glad you all could come."

"We all owe you a debt of gratitude," Metaknight said. "This is how we can repay the favor."

"And I just came because we're friends," Pikachu said.

"With the eleven of us, there's nothing we can't do," Kai said.

"Alright," Hazel said. "Let's all get on the ship. Try parking the plane on the ship as well, Tails."

"Sure," Tails said.

Tails then ran to the Tornado.

"I hope you all know just what you're getting into," Zero said.

"We know," Mario said. "I've faced dangers worse than this before."

"Then it's settled," Kai said. "Let's go!"

They all then boarded the ship. Soon, the ship set sail for Zant, wherever he was.

"Toad, where is this 'Zant'?" Mario asked.

"I'll check," Toad said.

Toad pulled out the Chaos Radar and looked at it. After a bit of tweaking, Toad found the Chaos Emeralds. Toad guessed that they were somewhere within the Gameon Islands.

"That's odd," Toad said. "Hand me a map."

Tails then brought a map to Toad. Toad then matched the radar to the map.

"According to the map, Zant has our emeralds at Dark Island," Toad said.

"Isn't that where we fought Rukar when he was possessed?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," Zero said. "Why is he there? The island is small, and the only thing there are the dark ruins."

"I guess that he's setting a trap," Serena said.

"Then we have to be ready," Hazel said. "We should stop off at nearby islands to get supplies."

"Right," everyone agreed.

That night, Kai was sleeping soundly. Soon, he heard a familiar voice.

"Kai," the voice said.

Kai recognized it as the voice he heard when he was in the real world. It was the same voice that told him about the Chaos Emeralds.

"Who's there?" Kai thought.

"Come outside," the voice said.

Kai the slipped on some clothes and hurried outside. Once there, he saw a golden ball of light.

"Who are you?" Kai asked.

The light then took a shape Kai has seen several times. The light had turned into the girl who sacrificed herself to save her people, Tikal.

"You're Tikal, aren't you?" Kai asked.

"Yes," Tikal said. "I've tried communicating with you before, but I could only do it through visions."

"So the time I saw the worlds being engulfed in darkness," Kai said, "and the times I saw the Echidna tribe, that was you?"

"Yes," Tikal said. "Now we can finally speak face-to-face."

"Do you mind explaining?" Kai asked.

"My Grandmother once told me about the battle between dark and light," Tikal said. "At that time, I didn't understand it much. But soon, I learned what the stories meant. I was meant to tell you about the sword you wield."

"I know about it," Kai said. "It's the sword of the Chosen Warrior of Light. What else is there to know?"

"I am about to tell you something that may tip the scales in your favor," Tikal said. "The metal that forged your sword has the ability to dispel darkness. This includes…"

"…Twilight," Kai finished.

"Yes," Tikal said. "If I've learned correctly from the spirit of the Avians, the metal focuses a person's complete magical energy into a form of light that engulfs darkness and destroys it."

"Do you mean my **Shining Overdrive**?" Kai asked.

"That is probably it," Tikal said. "Using that, you can help protect the world from the power of the Twilight."

"Thank you," Kai said.

"I just ask one thing from you: please help bring peace to the world," Tikal said. "It was a universal dream that Garamond, the Goddess, and I shared. I want you to fulfill this dream."

"You didn't even have to ask," Kai replied. "I was going to do that anyway."

"Thank you," Tikal said as she faded away.

Soon, Kai was alone on the deck of the ship. Soon, Hazel walked outside.

"What are you doing out here?" Hazel asked.

"I could ask the same thing," Kai said.

"I heard something out here," Hazel said. "I didn't know what it was, so I decided to check it out."

Hazel walked up to Kai. They both looked up at the starry sky.

"It's beautiful out," Hazel said.

"I know," Kai said.

They looked toward each other. Soon, they drew their heads closer to each other and closed their eyes.

"AHHH!!!" they heard Toad's voice shout.

Kai and Hazel jumped back in surprise, blushed brightly, and ran back inside. They found that everyone was at the door of Kai's, Toad's and Zero's room.

"What's going on?" Serena yawned.

"Sorry," Toad said. "I had a nightmare that Zant had killed Toadette. My bad."

Everyone groaned angrily.

"Please don't scream like that," Pikachu said. "I thought that Zant had attacked."

Everyone grumpily returned to their beds except Kai and Hazel. Kai then said "good-night" to Hazel and walked into the door. When the door closed, Hazel went back to bed. They all had to get their rest. The battle against Zant was fast approaching.


	33. Chapter 33: Return to Dark Island

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 33: Return to Dark Island**

The following morning, the ship of warriors continued to sail towards Dark Island. Toad was walking on the deck of the ship when he saw Kai practicing magic with Hazel.

"What are you guys doing?" Toad asked.

"Hazel's letting me practice white magic," Kai said. "It could come in handy for when Hazel's not around."

"That's right," Hazel said. "Alright, Kai. Let's continue."

Toad then left Kai and Hazel and continued his walk. He eventually saw Mario, who was staring out toward the ocean.

"What's up?" Toad asked.

Mario looked toward Toad.

"I was just thinking about Luigi," Mario answered. "He's been gone for a while now. I hope that nothing has happened to him."

"He'll turn up eventually," Toad said.

The following morning, they reached their destination. Dark Island looked as ominous as ever. Storm clouds as dark as coal hung over the island.

"I wonder where Zant is," Hazel said.

"He's got to be in the ruins," Zero said.

"Prepare to dock!!!" Toad shouted.

Eventually, the ship had reached the shores of Dark Island. All eleven of the heroes on board left the ship and stepped toward the ruins.

"Is everyone ready?" Kai asked.

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Then let's go," Kai said.

They then made their way into the ruins. As they traveled deeper and deeper, Kai remembered their earlier journey into these ruins. Soon, they reached the room where they fought Rukar. The room was the same as it was before except for the huge wall of Twilight on the other side.

"Zant's on the other side of the wall," Toad said as he looked at the radar.

"We won't be able to go in unless someone pulls us in," Alakazam said.

"Then it's impossible," Toad said. "Kai said that a twilight girl named Midna pulled him in last time."

They just stood there and began to think. Kai then remembered the conversation with Tikal he had. He drew his sword and walked toward the wall.

"Kai, what are you doing?" Hazel asked.

Kai held his sword above his head. He then sliced a large hole in the wall.

"Get in before it closes!" Kai shouted.

The ten other heroes then rushed forward and jumped through the hole. Kai was the last to go through. Right as he got through, the door closed.

They found themselves in a pitch-black hallway.

"We're not spirits!" Hazel exclaimed.

"And I'm not a wolf," Kai said. "I guess my idea worked."

"How did you do that?" Tails asked.

"A…uh…friend told me," Kai said. "Let's get moving."

"Fine by me," Sonic said. "Let's go!"

They ran down the hallway. The eventually came across another room and stopped in their tracks. Ahead of them was a whole army of twilight monsters. On the other side of the army was a set of stairs leading upwards.

"Oh crud," Pikachu said.

"What should we do?" Toad asked.

"You five should go ahead," Mario said, indicating the five main heroes. "The six of us can handle this lot."

"Right," Kai said. "You just have to clear a path."

"No problem," Pikachu said. "That's where I come in."

Pikachu then began to rush on all four legs straight toward the army. His body began to spark. Soon, he was completely covered in electricity. He charged right through the twilight monsters and destroyed everyone that was in his path. This made a path for Kai, Toad, Zero, Hazel, and Serena to run through. They run up the stairs. More twilight monsters appeared out of nowhere. Mario and the rest of the group begin to fight off these monsters.

Meanwhile, Kai and his friends run straight up the stairs. They eventually reach a room with five doors.

"Which one is the right one?" Kai asked.

"Let's split up," Zero said. "One of us will made it through."

"We should probably leave a trail for the others," Toad said as he took out a marker.

He then wrote each of their names just under the doors.

"Let's go," Toad said.

They each enter the door that Toad assigned them. Each of the halls that the doors led to seemed endless.

In another large room, there were only four doors. On the other side of the room were four mirrors that paralleled the doors. One door opened, and Toad came out. The other doors opened as well. Zero, Hazel, and Serena came out of these doors.

"That's odd," Hazel said. "Where's Kai?"

"I don't know," Toad said. "What's with the mirrors on the other side."

They walked toward the mirrors. As they looked at their reflections, something felt odd. Suddenly, Toad's reflection moved on its own.

"WHAT?!" Toad shouted as he jumped back.

Toad's reflection walked out of the mirror. The reflection Toad was shaded.

"Hello, me," Toad's reflection said.

One-by-one, the rest of the reflections stepped out of their mirrors. Just like Toad's, these reflection were shaded.

"Master Zant wishes for us to fight you," Zero's reflection said.

"We will prevent you from helping your precious little Kai," Hazel's reflection said.

"And kill you in the process," Serena's reflection said.

Every one of the warriors drew their weapons and prepared to fight. They then charged forward and attacked. Zero and dark Zero threw shuriken at each other. The shuriken hit each other and fell down. The Zeros then did their own hand-signs.

"**Fire-Style: Fireball Jutsu**!" Zero shouted.

"**Earth-Style: Earth Barrier**!" dark Zero shouted.

Zero breathed a large fireball straight for dark Zero. A wall of rock rose from the ground and defended dark Zero. Dark Zero took this moment to throw a kunai knife at Zero. The knife barely scratched Zero on the shoulder because he saw it just in time.

The Hazel's fought each other by blocking each other's attacks with barriers. They also clashed their hammers together.

Toad and dark Toad used **Fira**, **Blizzara**, and **Thundara** spells to attack each other. They managed to dodge each other's spells.

Serena and dark Serena fought using their knives. They slashed at each other and blocked each other's attacks.

Meanwhile, Kai entered a whole different room. This room had two doors: the one he just came through and one on the other side. As soon as he stepped into the room, the doors shut and locked themselves.

"Why does this not surprise me?" Kai asked himself.

Suddenly, in a cloud of black smoke, Mr. L appeared in the center of the room.

"Hello, Kai Kamai," Mr. L said.

"Where's Zant?!" Kai shouted.

"Don't be so impatient," Mr. L said. "You'll see him soon. But you first have to defeat me."

Mr. L then drew his sword. Kai also drew his own sword. They charged forward, and their swords clashed. The sound of clanging metal echoed through the room as the battle continued. Mr. L eventually jumped back, performed a horizontal slash, and launched a wave of energy toward Kai. Kai countered by using his **Dragon Claw**.

Kai then held out his right hand and launched the **Dragon Pulse** spell. The sphere of energy shot straight toward Mr. L. Mr. L managed to block the spell with a tiny cyclone he created by slicing through the air.

"You've learned some new tricks," Mr. L said. "I'm impressed."

Kai and Mr. L continued to slash each other with their blades. Back in the mirror room, Hazel and dark Hazel hit their hammers together. They tried to push each other back.

"By now, your precious Kai must be dead," dark Hazel said. "Too bad. You never got to tell him…"

"Shut…UP!!!" Hazel shouted.

Hazel and dark Hazel jumped back from each other. Dark Zero managed to get Zero on the defensive.

"No wonder you have to train so much," dark Zero said triumphantly. "You wouldn't stand two seconds with Kai."

"I know that," Zero said. "But you won't last two minutes against me!"

Zero then launched another **Fireball Jutsu** toward dark Zero, who countered using a **Substitution Jutsu**. Dark Zero appeared right behind Zero and threw three shuriken. Zero used a kunai knife to block these.

Soon, the dark clones drove Kai's friends into a corner.

"What do we do?" Serena asked. "She knows everything that I do!"

"I never knew I was this tough," Toad said.

"What are you talking about, shrimpy?" Serena asked. "I could kick your butt before you could even blink."

"That's it!" Hazel shouted. "Let's trade opponents."

"Right," Zero said.

They then switched around. Serena faced off with dark Toad, Toad rushed to dark Hazel, Hazel faced dark Zero, and Zero jumped in front of dark Serena.

Dark Toad launched a **Fira** spell toward Serena, who was fast enough to move out of the way. She appeared right behind dark Toad. She then hit each of his arms with three needles. Dark Toad's arms dropped down.

"What happened to my arms?!" dark Toad shouted.

"I just hit three vital pressure points in each of your arms," Serena said. "Now you can't move them, nor can you cast spells. Now I can do this."

Serena rushed forward and kicked dark Toad in the back. Dark Toad hit a mirror and disappeared into it.

"Force them into the mirrors!" Serena shouted. "They'll disappear!"

The others nodded their heads. Toad launched a **Fira** spell toward dark Hazel. Dark Hazel created a barrier to block this. Toad then intensified the spell, turning it into a **Firaga** spell. This managed to break the barrier. Dark Hazel was blown straight into a mirror.

Dark Zero used the **Shadow-Clone Jutsu** to create twenty clones of himself. Hazel held her right hand toward the ground. She then hit it with her **Gyro Sphere**. Chunks of rock hit the Zero's one-by-one until only one was left.

"You wasted your chakra by creating those clones," Hazel said. "The real Zero wouldn't make such a mistake."

Dark Zero charged straight toward Hazel. Hazel created another **Gyro Sphere** and hit dark Zero, who was forced into a mirror.

Zero threw some shuriken straight toward dark Serena, who blocked them with her knife.

"You can't beat me," dark Serena said.

Zero then bit his right thumb, created some hand-signs, and slammed his right hand on the ground. In a cloud of smoke, Zero summoned a large, yellow dragon. Dark Serena slowly backed away from the dragon. Right behind her was Serena. She then walked away from Serena and ran into Hazel. She then walked away from her and ran into Toad.

"Bye-bye," Toad said.

Toad then blasted dark Serena with a **Fira** spell. She launched toward Hazel, who hit her with her hammer toward Serena. Serena kicked dark Serena toward Zero's dragon. Zero's dragon grabbed dark Serena with its claws and threw her into the mirror. When she was gone, Zero's dragon disappeared. The group of heroes fell to their knees in exhaustion.

"I'm pooped," Hazel said.

"I wonder how Kai's doing," Zero said.

Mr. L managed to push Kai into a corner. Kai was completely drained of his magical power.

"This is the end!" Mr. L shouted.

"Stop!" a voice shouted.

Kai and Mr. L looked toward where the voice came from. Mario somehow blew the door away. The door was burnt up.

"Stop this…Luigi," Mario said.

Kai's face looked puzzled.

"Who's this Luigi you speak of?!" Mr. L shouted. "I am Mr. L!"

"Take back your body, brother!" Mario shouted. "I know you're in there, somewhere!"

Mr. L began to shiver. He fell to his knees and held his head, as if he was in pain.

"WHY IS MY HEAD SPLITTING?!" Mr. L shouted. "Master Zant! Get rid of this pain!"

"Luigi!" Mario shouted. "Fight the darkness!"

"M-M-Mario?" Mr. L asked in a slightly different voice. "No! I'm n-not Luigi! I'm Mr. L! Or am I?"

He screamed in pain.

"Kai, you must help him!" Mario pleaded. "He's in pain."

"Wait a minute," Kai said.

He then remembered what Tikal told him. It was something about his sword engulfing darkness and destroying it. He then remembered how he cured Rayquaza, the sea dragon, and Sakura with his sword.

"I have an idea," Kai said.

He then walked toward Mr. L. He charged up his **Shining Overdrive**, and hit Mr. L on the shoulder. A large explosion of green and light-blue light rose from the point of impact. When the light faded, Mr. L passed out on the floor. His clothes changed into a green shirt, blue overalls, white gloves, and a green hat. He had changed back into Luigi.

Luigi then stood up.

"Mario?" Luigi asked. "Where am I?"

"That doesn't matter now, brother," Mario said. "You're safe and sound."

Luigi then passed out again. Mario managed to catch him this time.

"I'm going to take him to Hazel," Mario said. "The others are waiting for me back where you left us. You should continue on and fight Zant. But before you do, I have something for you."

Zant pulled out a mushroom that was larger than normal. Kai ate it and felt more energy than ever before. All of his wounds disappeared in an instant.

"That was an Ultra-Shroom," Mario said. "It heals you much more than a normal mushroom. I saved it for such an occasion. Good luck, Kai Kamai."

Mario then carried Luigi back toward where Kai's friends were.

"Thanks, Mario," Kai said.

"Just take that bad-guy down," Mario said. "That's your specialty, right?"

Kai gave Mario the thumbs-up. Mario did the same and walked off. Kai continued through the door where Zant was waiting for him. Kai knew that there was no backing out now.


	34. Chapter 34: Ursurper King Zant

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 34: Usurper King-Zant**

Kai ran down a long, dark hallway to where he believes Zant is waiting for him. This hallway was completely empty. There were no doors, nor were there windows. Not only that, Kai was the only one there.

"Here I come, Zant," Kai thought as he ran.

Meanwhile, Mario brought Luigi back to Hazel and the other heroes. They were all in the room where Kai and his friends had left the other heroes. Mario placed Luigi gently on the ground, and Hazel began to heal him. Then, Mario explained what happened to the other heroes.

"So Mr. L was Luigi all along," Zero said. "Interesting."

"So Kai's on his own and battling Zant," Toad said. "That's not good. We have to help him."

"No," Mario said. "This is Kai's fight. We cannot interfere."

"But Kai could die in there," Toad said. "We can't just sit here!"

"Kai has fought the odds before," Metaknight said. "He'll do it again."

"I hope so," Hazel said.

Meanwhile, Kai rushed continued to run down the dark hallway. He eventually reached a large, black door covered in red vines.

"This is it," Kai said.

Kai pushed the door open. This room was completely empty except for a door on the other side. Suddenly, Kai could here footsteps from behind him. He reached for his sword. When the footsteps became louder, he drew his sword and turned around. His sword clashed with that of a familiar face.

"Link?!" Kai exclaimed.

There, standing before him, was Link.

"I can't believe it!" Kai exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to defeat Zant," said another voice from below him.

Suddenly, the familiar shadow known as Midna appeared from below Link. When she appeared out of nowhere, Kai jumped back in alarm.

"DON'T DO THAT!" Kai shouted. "I haven't seen you for awhile. That scared me!"

"It doesn't matter," Midna said. "We're all here. But how did you get here without help?"

Kai then told Midna and Link about his sword's abilities.

"Wow," Link said. "We had to use a mirror to do that."

Link pulled out a strange mirror.

"You wouldn't believe what we went through to get this," Link said.

"Whatever happened to the fused shadows thingies?" Kai asked.

"In a nutshell: they didn't work," Midna said. "So we're here to fight Zant again."

"So it's time we take down Zant once and for all," Kai said. "Together, we can't fail."

Kai and Link then shook hands. They then continued on. They ran down a long, dark hallway similar to the others in this realm. They soon reached another door just like the one from earlier.

"This must be it," Midna said. "Finally, Zant will fall."

They entered the room. Inside, Zant was waiting for them.

"So you made it," Zant said to them.

"Isn't it ironic?" Midna asked. "Here we are, thanks to the dark magic curse you placed on Link."

"And me," Kai said angrily.

"You speak of magic?" Zant asked. "Still your tongue for a moment, whelp, and I will tell you of both magic and the oppression of ages…

"The people of our tribe…a tribe that mastered the arts of magic…were locked away in this world like insects in a cage

"In the shadows we regressed, so much so that we soon knew neither anger nor hatred…nor the faintest bloom of desire.

"And all of it was the fault of a useless, do-nothing royal family that had resigned itself to this miserable half-existence!

"I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess."

"Princess?" Kai asked.

But Zant ignored this.

"And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! THAT is why!

"But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler."

"You whine like a little kid," Kai said.

"Bite your tongue!" Zant shouted. "This great story ends with my meeting with…a god."

"A god?" Kai asked. "Who?"

"You shall never meet him," Zant said. "I'll kill you before that happens!"

Zant then hovered into the air. A strange, red, magic circle appeared behind him. Suddenly, the room around them all began to morph. Soon, they were brought into the room where they fought Diababa.

"This is familiar," Kai said.

Zant began to hover over the poisonous liquid. He then shot strange, purple energy blasts at Kai and Link.

"Get behind me!" Link shouted.

Kai hid behind Link, who pulled out his shield. Link blocked the blasts with the shield. The bursts of energy became stronger and stronger.

"I can't hold it for long," Link said. "If we could get near him, I could beat him."

"Do you still have that wind boomerang thing?" Kai asked.

"That could work," Link said. "But I can't bring it out if I use my shield."

"I'll block his attacks," Kai said. "You prepare the boomerang."

Kai then jumped ahead of Link and created a barrier using white magic. The energy blasts rapidly hit the barrier. Soon, the barrier began to crack.

"Are you almost done?!" Kai shouted.

"Ready," Link said.

As Kai released the barrier, Link threw the gale boomerang. It hit Zant and pulled him toward them. Kai and Link then gave one powerful swing and sent Zant into a wall.

"Too easy," Kai said.

Zant then morphed the room once again. The room now became the inside of the of Mt. Lavalava.

"How does he do that?" Kai asked.

The room began to rumble. Lava began to rise into the room.

"Not again!" Kai shouted. "I went through this once already!"

Zant, who hovered above the lava, began to launch energy blasts at Kai and Link as they rushed onto higher ground.

"This sucks!" Kai shouted. "We can't reach him, and you don't have time for that boomerang thingy!"

"Keep running up!" Link shouted. "The lava's following us!"

Kai and Link continued to run upwards, dodging the two dangers that followed them. The lava rose faster and faster as Zant blasted Kai and Link with more and more energy blasts.

They soon reached the top of the volcano and rushed out. They then ran down the side of the mountain. Outside happened to be the trenches that Kai and his friends earlier.

"Jump over those!" Kai shouted. "The lava will just go into the ocean!"

Kai and Link continued to run as the lava followed them. They eventually made it across the trenches, where the lava stopped and flowed into the ocean. Zant still floated over the lava as Kai and Link dodged his blasts.

"I've got him," Kai said.

Kai then launched a **Dragon Pulse** toward Zant. Zant was blown into the lava.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Link asked.

"I was too busy with the barrier," Kai said. "This time, I had an open shot."

Zant rose from the lava once again. He then morphed the room one more time. This time, it turned into the arena where Kai fought Eggman.

"How do you know about these places?!" Kai exclaimed. "You weren't there!!!"

Zant then launched energy blasts as large as the missiles Eggman used toward Kai and Link. Kai created a barrier, but it broke instantly. Kai and Link were blown backwards.

"That didn't work," Link said.

"I noticed," Kai said.

Zant launched another large energy blast. Link bashed against it with his shield. The blast dissolved against his shield.

"We can block it, but how do we hit him?" Kai asked.

"I'll block it and you blast him," Link said.

Kai then launched the **Dragon Pulse** toward Zant, who dodged it smoothly.

"I guess he saw it coming," Kai said.

Zant launched another blast. Kai drew his sword and used his **Dragon Claw** to strike it. The energy blast bounced back straight to Zant and hit him.

"I don't know how that worked," Kai said.

"You are just full of surprises today," Link said.

Zant changed the room back to its original form. Zant began to spin like a top and flew toward Kai. Kai tried to defend with his sword, but the attack got through. Kai fell backwards. There was a large wound on his chest.

"Damn that hurt," Kai said.

Kai placed his right hand over his chest and used a **Cure** spell. The wound was still there, but it wasn't as deep.

"Not as good as Hazel, but good enough," Kai said. "I better watch out for that attack."

Zant began to spin around again. Kai and Link knew to dodge him now. Zant chased them around the room. Soon, he stopped and flailed around like he was dizzy.

"Now!" Kai shouted.

Kai and Link slashed Zant together. Zant then began to run toward Kai, waving his blades like a madman. Kai and Link began to run away. Kai conjured up a barrier to block the attack. When Zant became to tired, Kai released the barrier. Link slashed at Zant and knocked him backwards.

"That's it!" Kai shouted.

Kai charged a white energy into his blade. He slashed vertically and used the powerful **Draco Meteor**. Zant was shot straight toward the wall. The crater that formed from the impact was extremely deep. Zant fell onto the ground.

"We did it!" Kai exclaimed.

He then fell to his knees in exhaustion.

"I forgot how much that drains me," Kai said. "That's the first time I've ever used that."

"It's impressive," Link said.

Zant then lifted his head.

"Y-you…TRAITORS!" Zant shouted.

Midna reappeared from Link's shadow.

"Traitors, ha!" Midna laughed triumphantly. "You want to know why none would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant.

"All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils. Did you think we'd forget our ancestors lost their king to such greed?"

"Midna…" Zant said weakly. "Foolish Twilight Princess. The curse on you cannot be broken…

"It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of Twili will never return!

"Already has he descended and been reborn in this world…

"As long as my master survives, he will resurrect me without cease!"

He began to laugh evilly. Midna then used a strange power to pierce Zant's body. Zant then died. The six Chaos Emeralds fell from his armor.

"Mind explaining a few things?" Kai asked. "Why did he call you a princess? What did he mean by 'curse'? Who's his master?!"

"I'll explain," Midna said. "I am truly the Twilight Princess. I am the descendant of a tribe of people that was banished to the Twilight Realm, so is Zant. Zant truly did serve my family for years. I always knew that he wanted power, but I never knew that he would get it. If only he didn't meet that evil Gerudo."

"Gerudo?" Kai asked. "Oh no. It can't be!"

Suddenly, in a cloud of dark mist, the evil that Kai remembered from his last journey here appeared in the room. It was Ganondorf.

"No!" Kai shouted. "It can't be! Link and I killed you!"

"We did?" Link asked.

"Different Link," Kai said. "I'll explain later."

"Maybe I should explain," Ganondorf said. "When you, Link, and that Princess Zelda defeated me in that time, I wasn't killed. I was really sealed into the Twilight Realm because of the power of my Triforce.

"I was trapped in that realm for many years, until a power-hungry fool came to me, believing I was a god. I took his naivety to my advantage. With his power, combined with my own, I managed to break out. Now comes the best part. With the seven Chaos Emeralds in hand, I will be invincible. Not even your sword will defeat me now!"

Ganondorf then picked up the six emeralds that fell onto the ground.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Kai shouted.

Kai ran forward and slashed at Ganondorf. Ganondorf managed to dodge his swings.

"You are too weak to defeat me," Ganondorf said. "Unlike you, I've had many years to practice!"

Ganondorf then punched Kai in the stomach. Kai fell to the floor. Suddenly, the door that Kai came through opened wide. The other heroes came in.

"Kai!" Toad shouted.

"Stop…guys…" Kai said weakly.

Ganondorf flew toward Toad.

"What?!" Toad exclaimed. "Kai killed you!"

"I don't like explaining things twice," Ganondorf said. "Hand over the emerald you have, fungus!"

"How did you…never mind!" Toad shouted. "I'll never hand over the emerald!"

Zero and Serena charged forward to attack Ganondorf, who just knocked them out of the way. Sonic then performed a spin dash, which was blocked easily. Mario launched a large fireball. Ganondorf used his hand to block it. He then knocked the rest of the heroes away with his power, until only Toad was left. He then lifted Toad by the throat.

"Let…him…go!" Kai shouted weakly.

Toad began to choke. Ganondorf found the emerald bag on his waist. He then grabbed it and threw Toad onto the ground.

"Finally," Ganondorf said. "I know have all seven of the Chaos Emeralds. Ultimate power is mine!!!"

He then disappeared into a cloud of black mist.

Kai managed to stand up and walk over to his friends. He helped them stand up.

"Are you guys alright?" Kai asked.

"I'm fine," Hazel said. "But what about Toad?"

Toad had passed out from being chocked.

"I'll get us out of here," Midna said.

Midna created a blue portal out of nowhere. They all entered the portal and teleported to the ship. Hazel and Zero carried Toad to the ship's medical room. Kai fell to his knees and slammed his fist onto the ground. He knew that this was the worst mistake he had ever made. He knew that the world was doomed.


	35. Chapter 35: Back to Hyrule Castle

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 35: Back to Hyrule Castle**

Toad eventually woke up. He sat up and saw the other heroes.

"What happened?" Toad asked.

"You were nearly chocked to death and the emerald was stolen," Hazel said.

"I'm sorry," Toad said. "I messed up."

"What are you talking about, Toad?" Kai asked.

"Metaknight told us to let you fight on your own," Toad said. "I…I had a bad feeling. I wanted to make sure that you were alright. I should've trusted you. Then we might still have the emerald."

"No," Kai said. "If you guys didn't come, I might've been killed. Thanks, Toad. You are my best friend."

Later that day, all of the heroes met on the deck of the ship.

"It seems that we have failed," Metaknight said.

"Now that Ganondorf has the Chaos Emeralds, he'll have ultimate power in no time," Sonic said. "But there has to be a way to beat him."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Alakazam said. "Look."

They all looked to the right side of the ship, toward where the Gameon Islands are. A large cloud of Twilight was slowly spreading across the world.

"I estimate that the Gameon Islands will all be engulfed in Twilight by tomorrow morning," Alakazam said. "Not only that, the Twilight will surround the whole world within the week."

"That's not good," Hazel said. "What should we do?"

"The only thing we can do: fight Ganondorf," Kai said. "I don't care how strong he is. I started this adventure. I'm gonna end it."

"Inspiring words like always, Kai," Zero said. "But do we really stand a chance?"

The whole crowd of heroes started to mumble.

"We do if we give it our all!" Kai exclaimed. "If we get to Ganondorf, we can win! I know it! Now who's with me?!"

Toad was the first to raise his hand. One-by-one, the other heroes joined in.

"Then let's go," Kai said.

"Where do we go?" Tails asked. "We don't even know where this Ganondorf guy went."

"There's only one place he would go," Kai said. "It's the one place he's wanted to take over for years. Next stop: Hyrule!"

"Aye aye, captain!" Toad shouted.

Toad then rushed to the ship's steering wheel. He then turned the ship sharply to the right. The ship began to head straight for Hyrule. About halfway there, they reached a dark fog of Twilight.

"Ready, Link?" Kai asked.

"Ready, Kai," Link answered.

Kai and Link both swung their swords at the fog. The fog opened wide, and the ship was able to enter the Twilight Realm. Inside the fog, everything was covered in thick darkness. Midna suddenly rose from Link's shadow.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Midna asked. "I could relax here if we weren't after that jerk, Ganondorf."

"We should immediately head for Hyrule Castle when we get to Hyrule," Kai said.

"That's right," Link said. "That's where Zelda's body is."

"Actually I was going to say that…WHAT?!" Kai exclaimed. "Zelda's BODY?!"

"Is she dead?" Hazel asked.

"No," Midna said. "She transferred her soul into my body to heal me. Once I get my curse lifted, I'll bring her back."

"Anyway," Kai said. "Ganondorf's going to be there. I can feel it."

"It'll be difficult getting there," Metaknight said. "He will have monsters all over Hyrule. We'll have to fight them to get to the castle. Then the fun begins."

"That's why I packed plenty of Mushrooms and Honey Syrup," Hazel said. "We can heal ourselves when we reach the castle."

"Good," Kai said.

"We would be best to rest now," Metaknight said. "We'll be there in about an hour."

"Right," Kai said.

One hour later, the S.S. Mushroom finally reached Hyrule. As soon as they docked on the shore, they began to head toward Hyrule Castle. There were various enemies along the way. The heroes easily took care of these enemies. Soon, they reached the outside of Hyrule Castle. There was a large barrier surrounding the castle.

"This is where I come in," Midna said.

Midna then pulled out the three fused shadows. Using their power, she dispelled the barrier that surrounded the castle. They ran through the inside of the castle until they reached the castle's courtyard. Across the courtyard was a locked door.

"We're at a dead end unless we find the key," Link said.

"Can't you just pick the lock, Serena?" Kai asked.

"It's a magical lock," Serena said. "It would take me all day to unlock that."

"Then we have to find that key," Sonic said. "No problem for the world's fastest hedgehog."

Suddenly, someone snuck up on them. Kai noticed the intruder and turned around. It was the large, green orc with horns that stole Ilia the last time he was in Hyrule.

"King Bulblin!" Link shouted.

"He has a name?" Kai asked.

"I've come to play!" King Bulblin said menacingly.

He pulled out a gigantic axe made of stone.

"This will be fun," Kai said.

Zero stepped forward and got in Kai's way.

"I'll take this guy," Zero said. "He most likely has the key. I'll find it, steal it, and throw it to you so you can escape while I distract him."

"Shouldn't I steal the key?" Serena asked. "I'm the expert thief."

"There might be a more difficult enemy ahead," Zero said. "Your thieving abilities might come in handy then. I'll stay here and take this fool on."

Zero then stepped forward. King Bulblin walked forward and swung his axe. Zero swiftly moved out of the way. Zero threw three shuriken toward him, and Bulblin blocked it. Zero ran up behind him, found the key, stole it, and threw it to Kai. Kai caught the key.

"Now move!" Zero shouted.

"Thanks," Kai said.

Kai unlocked the door, and he, as well as the other heroes, continued on.

"Now it's just you and me," Zero said.

Bulblin charged forward and swung his axe diagonally. Zero jumped backwards and used the **Fireball Jutsu**. Bulblin was surprised by this, but he managed to block the fire. When the fire was gone, Zero had moved somewhere.

Bulblin looked all around him for Zero, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a hand rose from the ground and grabbed Bulblin's leg. Bulblin just grabbed Zero's hand, pulled him out of the ground, and threw him against the wall.

"So attacking from below won't work," Zero thought. "I'll have to try something different."

Bulblin charged forward and swung his axe. Zero then used the **Shadow Clone Jutsu** to create three clones of himself. The three clones then charged forward and surrounded Bulblin. They tried fighting him with punches and kicks from different directions, but Bulblin managed to take the hits without flinching. He then grabbed one Zero and swung him around, hitting the other three Zeros. These three Zeros disappeared in clouds of smoke. He then threw the Zero he had against the wall.

Zero painfully got up.

"I'm running low on chakra," Zero said. "If none of those moves work, I have to try something else. It's time to pull it out."

Zero began to concentrate. The seal on his stomach began to glow.

"**Chakra Release**!" Zero thought.

Suddenly, a large amount of energy began to surround Zero. He then formed a few hand-signs. When he finished this, he pulled his right hand to his waist and formed a fist. All of his chakra formed onto his right hand and turned into a white ball of energy.

"I have one shot," Zero said. "I better make it count!"

Zero charged forward. Bulblin swung his axe vertically, but Zero swiftly moved to the side to dodge. Zero was now within range.

"**METEOR BLAST**!!!" Zero shouted as he jabbed Bulblin in the stomach.

All of Zero's chakra burst out of his hand as he hit. A large explosion of energy blew Bulblin straight into a wall. Bulblin fell to the ground and passed out. Zero stood up. He then clenched his stomach in pain. The pain he felt was extremely intense.

"Damn!" Zero thought. "The side effects are kicking in. It's a good thing I made that hit."

Zero then fell to his knees. Bulblin stood up.

"No!" Zero thought. "He can't be standing!"

Bulblin put his axe away and helped Zero stand up.

"You…you aren't going to finish me?" Zero asked.

"I follow the strongest side," King Bulblin said. "That is all I've ever known."

"Then train yourself," Zero said. "Go somewhere and train yourself. I'd like to fight you again."

"Yes," King Bulblin said. "May we meet in battle again, ninja."

A giant boar suddenly burst through the walls into the courtyard. King Bulblin hopped onto it and rode away. Zero watched him disappear. He then dug into his backpack, pulled out some Honey Syrup, and drank it.

"It'd probably be best if I don't use any more ninjutsu," Zero thought. "I'll wait outside of the castle for the rest of them. Good-luck, Kai."

Zero then headed for the exit. Meanwhile, the rest of the team continued through the castle. They fought the various twilight enemies that crossed their path.

"This is getting annoying," Toad said as he killed one enemy with a **Fira** spell.

"How much further?" Hazel asked.

"We can't be far," Kai said.

Metaknight sliced a pair of dark birds. Sonic used his **Sonic Wind** to destroy two large dark creatures simultaneously. They all continued fighting until the enemies were gone. They then took a break. Everyone was resting except…

"Where's Serena?" Alakazam asked.

"Not sure," Kai answered.

Toad then stood up.

"I'll go look for her," Toad said.

"Me too," Luigi said.

Toad and Luigi then separated from the group. Meanwhile, Serena had found her way into a room filled with treasure. Serena's eyes glowed as she saw that she was surrounded by gold, silver, diamonds, and pearls.

"WOW!!!" Serena exclaimed. "I hit the jackpot!"

Serena then began to shove as much treasure as she could into her backpack. She was about to leave when she saw a sword with a golden handle. The handle was encrusted with jewels. The sword's blade was buried under the gold.

"I bet I could sell that for a pretty penny," Serena happily said.

She walked to the sword. She grabbed the handle and pulled. She couldn't pull the sword out of its spot, however.

"This thing's stubborn," Serena said. "But I'm not leaving without it."

Serena decided to dig through the gold to find out what was holding the sword in its place. She continued to dig until she found that the sword was being held in the mouth of a dragon. This dragon was pitch-black and had spikes all along its spine.

"DAMN!!!" Serena screamed.

The dragon got mad at her, spit out the sword, and charged straight for her. Serena began to run around the room in an attempt to escape the dragon. The dragon spat a large, fireball toward her. Serena barely jumped out of the way. She continued to run until she tripped over a pot. The dragon had her just where he wanted her. He launched one more fireball.

"**Blizzara**!" Toad shouted.

A large ball of ice hit the fireball and destroyed it. Toad and Luigi had reached Serena.

"Thanks," Serena said.

"Do you have to think of treasure at a time like this?!" Toad shouted.

"I…um…just wanted a souvenir from this adventure," Serena said.

"In other words: you're just being greedy," Toad said.

The dragon interrupted them by launching another fireball. Toad and Serena jumped out of the way. Luigi drew his sword.

"**Poltergust**!!!" Luigi shouted as he swung his blade.

A large gust of wind shot from where Luigi swung his blade. The gust became as sharp as a blade and hit the dragon, cutting its head off.

"Nice shot," Toad said.

"Thanks," Luigi said.

Luigi then noticed something strange on the ground. It was a small crystal with a strange symbol on it.

"What's this?" Luigi asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Toad said. "We have to catch up with Kai!"

Serena grabbed her backpack, and the three of them left the room. They eventually reached Kai and the other heroes, who were fighting off a few enemies.

"Where were you?" Hazel asked.

"Nowhere," Serena said. "Just doing a bit of exploring."

"We should be there soon," Alakazam said.

"Right," Kai said. "Let's go!"

They continued through the castle until they reached the exact center of the castle. They stood in front of a large door with a symbol of the Triforce on it.

"Let's go," Kai said.

They opened the door. Inside, they found Ganondorf sitting on a throne. To the right were the seven Chaos Emeralds, which were placed on seven small pillars. To the left was the lifeless body of Princess Zelda.

"Zelda!" Kai shouted.

"Welcome to my castle…Kai Kamai and friends," Ganondorf said calmly.


	36. Chapter 36: Dark Lord Ganondorf

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 36: Dark Lord-Ganondorf**

Kai and his group finally reached Ganondorf. Midna appeared from Link's shadow.

"So you're…Ganondorf," Midna said. "I've been dying to meet you."

"Your people have long amused me, Midna," Ganondorf said. "To defy the gods with such petty magic, only to be cast aside…How very pathetic.

"Pathetic as they were, though, they served me well. Their anguish was my nourishment.

"Their hatred bled across the void and awakened me. I drew deep of it and grew strong again.

"Your people had some skill, to be sure…but they lacked true power. The kind of absolute power that those chosen by the gods wield.

"He who wields such power would made a suitable king for this world, don't you think?"

"Power?" Kai asked. "Ha! That's why you had to get all of the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Silence!" Ganondorf shouted.

"Ha!" Midna laughed. "Such conceit! But if you are one of the chosen wielders of power, as you claim…

"I will risk everything to deny you!"

"Shadow has been moved by light, it seems…" Ganondorf said. "…How amusing. Very well… Deny me, then!

"Yes, try to deny me… You and your little friends…"

Ganondorf then stepped forward. All of the heroes got into their fighting stances and prepared for battle. Ganondorf dissolved into a black mist. The black mist then entered Zelda's body. Zelda then rose into the air. Her eyes were filled with evil.

"All of you, faithless fools who dare to take up arms against the king of light and shadow…" Zelda said in Ganondorf's voice. "So you choose. And so you shall feel my wrath!"

The possessed Zelda then drew her sword. She dived straight toward the heroes, who jumped out of the way. She then launched energy beams toward them. The heroes managed to dodge all of Zelda's attacks.

"This is getting annoying!" Toad shouted. "**Blizza**…"

"Don't use a spell!" Hazel shouted. "That's still Zelda's body!"

Toad then stopped his spell. Zelda then launched another energy blast toward them. Toad and Hazel jumped out of the way. The heroes made sure to keep within talking distance.

"How do we get Ganondorf out of her?" Mario asked.

"Kai could do that **Shining Overdrive** thing," Pikachu suggested.

"I only have one shot with that move," Kai replied. "She's moving around too much. If we could stop her for even a few seconds, I could do it."

"I have another idea," Midna said. "I can use the Fused Shadows to separate them."

"That still requires us to keep her from moving," Sonic said as he dodged an energy blast.

An energy blast managed to hit Tails. For some reason, Tails seemed unable to move. Zelda prepared to dive toward him.

"Hazel, cover him!" Kai shouted.

Hazel jumped in the way and used her **Barrier** spell. Zelda hit the barrier and bounced off. Tails then regained movement.

"Are you all right?" Hazel asked.

"I'm fine," Tails said. "That only hurt a small bit. I just couldn't move."

A black void appeared below Hazel and Tails. They jumped away from it before it could hurt them.

"That's it!" Hazel thought.

She ran over to Kai.

"Kai, I know what to do!" Hazel shouted.

"What?" Kai asked.

"If we can somehow reflect those energy blasts back toward Zelda, we can give Midna enough time to strike her down," Hazel said.

"How do we do that?" Kai asked.

"I know," Alakazam said.

Alakazam then began to focus his mind.

"Everyone, draw her attacks toward me," Alakazam said to everyone telepathically.

Everyone nodded their heads. They then continued to dodge Zelda's attacks, but they drew closer and closer to Alakazam. Zelda soon launched another energy blast toward Alakazam. Alakazam held up his spoons.

"**Reflect**," Alakazam said.

His eyes began to glow. A small barrier appeared in front of him. The energy ball hit the barrier and bounced off. This caught Zelda off guard. The energy ball hit her and paralyzed her.

"Midna, now!" Kai shouted.

Midna then flew toward Zelda. She then used the power of the Fused Shadows and separated Ganondorf from Zelda. Link then ran to Zelda's body and picked her up.

Ganondorf then stood up. He glared toward the heroes.

"Now I am angry!" Ganondorf shouted.

Ganondorf then began to transform. He took the form of a giant boar and became Ganon. He then roared and blew all of the heroes except Kai away. A barrier then surrounded the other heroes.

"Not good!" Hazel shouted. "Kai's on his own!"

Ganon then charged toward Kai. Kai couldn't jump out of the way in time. He managed to create a barrier. When Ganon hit the barrier, it broke. Kai flew straight into the wall and fell onto the floor. He then painfully stood up. As he got up, Ganon rushed straight toward him. He managed to hit Kai again. Kai was blasted toward another wall. Kai managed to get up quicker this time.

"Kai, you have to fight back!" Hazel shouted.

"I'm trying!" Kai answered. "It's not easy when he's charging!"

Ganon charged straight toward Kai again. Kai was ready, though. He managed to jump out of the way. A black portal appeared beneath him and he disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Kai asked.

"He's teleporting!" Alakazam shouted. "You can catch him off guard when he reappears!"

Kai watched around for Ganon. Suddenly, another black portal appeared. Ganon began to rise from it.

"That's it!" Kai shouted.

He threw a bomb-rock toward Ganon and made contact. Ganon was blown onto the ground. Kai then saw a large, white scar on his stomach.

"There we go!" Kai shouted.

Kai then slashed the scar. Ganon screamed in pain. He began to get up. Kai jumped to a safe distance. Ganon got up once again.

"This is getting fun," Kai said.

Ganon disappeared into a portal once again. Kai was ready. He watched for another portal. When one appeared, he picked up a bomb-rock. Ganon began to rise. Kai threw his bomb-rock, but Ganon disappeared again right before the rock hit.

"What the?!" Kai exclaimed.

Ganon reappeared right behind him. Ganon then made a direct hit on Kai's back. Kai was blasted into the wall again. Kai got up once again.

"Ok," Kai said. "I'll get him next time."

Ganon disappeared into another portal. Kai tried throwing a bomb-rock at him, but Ganon disappeared again. He reappeared right behind Kai and hit him again. Kai was blasted into the barrier that was holding back the other heroes.

"The bomb-rock thing isn't going to work anymore," Toad said.

"Do you have another idea?" Kai asked.

"Can you become a wolf?" Midna asked.

"I…don't know," Kai said. "Last time I turned into a wolf was when Zant put a strange crystal in my head."

"Where is that crystal?" Midna asked.

"Hazel has it," Kai said.

Kai then saw that Ganon was charging for him again. Kai jumped out of the way to dodge. Midna turned toward Hazel.

"Where is that crystal?" Midna asked.

Hazel dug into her bag and pulled out the jar that had the black crystal in it.

"We have to get it to Kai," Midna said. "It's his only hope."

"Why?" Hazel asked.

"Just trust me," Midna said.

"I wish we could," Toad said. "But we're stuck."

"I might be able to hold open the barrier for a few seconds," Alakazam said. "Just tell me when you're ready."

"Alright," Hazel said.

She then waited for Kai to be a good distance from Ganon.

"Kai!" Hazel shouted. "Now!"

Alakazam used his psychic powers to open a small hole in the barrier. Hazel then threw the jar through the hole. Kai saw the jar and caught it. He opened the jar and grabbed the crystal. He then shoved the crystal into his own chest. He morphed into his wolf form.

When Ganon charged for Kai, Kai moved much quicker with his dodge.

"That's right!" Toad shouted. "He's not as strong, but he's faster as a wolf!"

"Right," Metaknight said. "There is no use in power if you cannot hit your opponent."

Ganon continued to charge at Kai, while Kai swiftly dodged. Ganon then realized that teleportation was necessary. He then began to teleport. Kai watched all around him for a portal. Once he saw one, he got ready. When Ganon rose from the portal, Kai jumped on him and knocked him onto his back. Kai then began to bite at the scar on Ganon's stomach. Ganon roared in pain as he tried to knock Kai off, but Kai wouldn't let go.

Soon, Ganon stopped struggling. The barrier surrounding the other heroes disappeared. Midna then used her powers to remove the crystal from Kai. Kai returned to his human form.

"Kai!" Hazel exclaimed. "You did it! I knew you could do it!"

"No problem," Kai said. "But I think I need something to wash Ganon's taste out of my mouth."

Zelda then moved a bit. Everyone watched as Zelda woke up.

"L-Link?" Zelda said weakly.

Link then helped Zelda stand up. Everyone gathered around the princess.

"Pr-Princess…" Midna began. "I… I…"

"Say nothing, Midna…" Zelda said. "Your heart and mine were as one, however briefly…

"Such suffering you have endured…"

"Ok," Kai said. "Now I'm officially confused."

"It doesn't matter," Metaknight said. "The evil king is no more."

They began to leave when Kai felt a strange energy. Kai turned to face Ganon and saw that he slowly getting up.

"How many times do I have to kill him before he stays dead?!" Kai shouted.

Ganon began to leap toward Kai. Midna got in the way and blew him away.

"Everyone, you must escape," Midna said. "I will hold him off. Take my portal."

Midna then created a portal out of nowhere. Everyone except Midna and Ganon then entered the portal and transported out of the room.

"It's just you and me," Midna said.

Everyone who entered the portal reappeared in the middle of Hyrule field. Zero was already there. He was in the middle of treating his wounds.

"Zero?" Kai asked.

"Took you guys long enough," Zero said. "I've been waiting."

"Why are you here?" Kai asked.

"I got too injured during my battle," Zero said. "I decided to leave the castle. Then something told me to come here."

"That was convenient," Serena said.

"Maybe Midna can talk to people telepathically," Toad said.

"Who knows?" Pikachu asked.

"Let me treat those wounds, Zero," Hazel said.

Hazel then began to treat Zero's wounds with magic. Kai watched the castle from the distance, hoping for a sign that Midna was all right.

"She'll be fine," Link said.

Suddenly, a large rumbling could be heard from the castle. The castle suddenly began to collapse. The heroes could only watch in shock at what was happening.

"What's happening?!" Serena exclaimed.

"The castle!" Toad shouted.

"Is Midna alright?" Zelda asked.

Soon, the castle finished collapsing. Now, there was nothing but silence. The heroes just stood there. Zelda began to pray for Midna's safety. Suddenly, Ganondorf rose from the ruins of the castle.

"He's alive?!" Serena exclaimed.

Ganondorf then held Midna's mask high up into the air.

"Midna's mask!" Link shouted.

Ganondorf then crushed it in his hands. Everyone's eyes widened. Kai closed his eyes and clenched his fist tightly.

"Kai?" Hazel asked.

Kai's eyes opened. He was glaring straight toward Ganondorf. Tears were forming in his eyes.

"She didn't deserve to die," Kai said. "Midna didn't deserve this. Ganondorf…will PAY!!!"

A large burst of magical energy began to surround Kai.

"Whoa," Metaknight said.

Kai pulled out his summoning charm. He then summoned Kage. He hopped onto Kage and began to ride toward Hyrule Castle. Hazel, Toad, Zero, and Serena summoned their Chocobos as well and followed Kai. Zelda continued to pray.

"Spirits of the light!" Zelda thought. "Wielders of the great power that shines far and wide upon the lands of our world…

"In our hour of need, grant us the light to banish evil!"

Pikachu began to step forward, but Mario stopped him.

"Only five warriors stand any chance to defeat Ganondorf," Mario said. "We'd only get in the way."

The heroes just watched as Kai and his friends charged straight toward Hyrule Castle, where the final battle awaited.


	37. Chapter 37: The Nexus World

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 37: The Nexus World**

Kai, Toad, Zero, Hazel, and Serena continued to ride toward Hyrule Castle, where Ganondorf was waiting for them.

"Ganondorf's pretty strong," Hazel said. "Beating him won't be easy."

"Nobody ever said that it would be," Zero replied. "But as long as we team up against him, we have a chance to win."

They focused on what was going to happen next. Eventually, they reached the ruins of Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf was standing in front of the ruins.

"You five are awfully persistent," Ganondorf said. "One would think that you would've used the chance that wretched Midna gave to you to escape."

"Can it, Ganondorf!" Kai shouted. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

Kai and his friends drew their weapons.

"Normally, I'd love to crush you like the insects you are," Ganondorf said," but I cannot right now. I have a date with another world. Come to me, Chaos Emeralds!"

Ganondorf held his hands into the air. Suddenly, he started to glow with a purple light. The seven Chaos Emeralds rose from the ruins and surrounded him. It seemed that Ganondorf's magical power was rising. Kai charged forward and slashed at him, but a barrier of magical power blocked the slash.

"The Chaos Emeralds must be protecting him," Hazel said.

Ganondorf's magical aura then forced Kai backwards. Kai crashed into a large pile of rubble.

"Yes," Ganondorf said. "I can feel the power surging through me! I am truly invincible!"

Ganondorf drew his large sword. He then slashed at the air in front of him. Suddenly, a purple vortex appeared where he slashed. He then put away his blade.

"Good-bye, Kai Kamai," Ganondorf said. "I have another world to conquer."

Ganondorf laughed triumphantly. He then took the seven Chaos Emeralds and entered the portal.

"NO!" Kai shouted as he got up.

He rushed toward the portal, but he was too late. The portal disappeared by the time he reached it.

"He's…he's gone," Toad said.

Kai dropped his sword and fell to his knees.

"No," Kai thought. "He won. Ganondorf won."

"There is still hope, Kai," Mario's voice echoed in Kai's mind.

Kai looked around for Mario. Kai's friends had apparently heard the voice as well, for they were searching for the plumber.

"Alakazam is using his telepathic powers to allow me to speak with you," Mario said. "You cannot give up hope yet."

"What can we do?" Serena asked. "Ganondorf escaped. We can't follow him."

"It is possible to go after him," Mario replied.

"How?" Hazel asked.

"Kai, in your possession is a certain item that allows you to traverse worlds," Mario answered. "Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Kai thought about this for a second. He then realized what Mario was speaking of. He pulled out the Silver Warpstar that brought him here.

"The Warpstar that sent you to your world and brought you back here is the key to opening the portal," Mario continued. "But it requires much magical energy to work. It will take all five of you to activate it."

"It's impossible to combine magical power from multiple people without a catalyst of some sort, let alone transfer it into the Warpstar," Hazel said.

"I believe that my brother has one in his possession," Mario said.

The heroes back in Hyrule Field looked toward Luigi. Luigi dug into his pockets and pulled out the crystal he found in the Hylian treasure room.

"Do you mean this?" Luigi asked.

"That's it," Mario said. "Alakazam, can you teleport that crystal to Kai?"

"Yes," Alakazam said. "Hand it over."

Luigi then handed the crystal to Alakazam. Alakazam then focused his power into the crystal. Suddenly, the crystal teleported into Kai's hands.

"Whoa!" Kai exclaimed.

"Now you have what you need," Mario said.

Kai and his friends then gathered together. One-by-one, the others placed their hands onto the crystal that was in Kai's. They began to focus their magical energy into the crystal. The crystal then transferred the energy into Kai.

Kai then held out the Warpstar. The Warpstar then began to glow brightly. Its power caused the portal to reappear. Kai then picked up his sword.

"Let's go!" Kai shouted.

Everyone else nodded their heads. They all then rushed into the portal and disappeared.

They reappeared in a large, seeming endless room that was completely white.

"What is this place?" Kai asked.

"Isn't this your world?" Toad asked.

"No," Kai answered. "This is someplace…different."

"I wonder…" Hazel said.

"What do you wonder?" Toad asked.

"Could this place be some sort of connector of the two worlds?" Hazel asked.

"You are correct!" a familiar voice echoed.

They looked toward where the voice came from. Ganondorf was standing there. The seven Chaos Emeralds were on the ground. The strange thing was that they were all drained of their colors.

"This is the Nexus World," Ganondorf continued. "The Nexus World lies in the exact center of the two worlds."

"Explain why we're here instead of in my world?" Kai asked.

"The Nexus World regulates what is in which world," Ganondorf answered. "Until I destroy the barrier blocking your world, we will remain here. But before that happens, I will defeat you!"

Ganondorf formed a large sphere of energy into his right hand. He then threw it toward Kai and his friends. They managed to dodge this attack. Ganondorf continued to barrage them with energy blasts.

Serena managed to get behind him. She pulled out some poison needles and threw them toward Ganondorf. They stopped right before they hit him, though.

"What?!" Serena exclaimed.

"Here's how you throw needles," Ganondorf said.

He then formed needles using his magical energy. Suddenly, they shot straight toward Serena and hit her. She fell onto the ground. Zero used this opportunity to attack. He charged chakra into his right hand and used his **Meteor Blast** on Ganondorf. Ganondorf saw him and slid to the side. He then grabbed Zero's arm and flung him onto Serena.

"If single attacks won't work…" Toad began.

"Then we'll just have to team up!" Hazel shouted.

Hazel charged her **Gyro Sphere** into her hand as she rushed towards Ganondorf. Toad then charged a **Firaga** spell into his hands as well. Hazel charged from one side, and Toad charged from the other. Ganondorf grabbed their hands and pointed them upwards. Their attacks shot into the air. He then spun them around and slammed them against each other. He then dropped them onto the ground.

Kai then slashed down toward Ganondorf with a vertical slice. Ganondorf drew his sword and blocked Kai. Kai continued to barrage Ganondorf with sword techniques, but Ganondorf blocked them all. Ganondorf then used one hand to blast Kai away with an energy blast. Kai managed to land on his feet, however. Kai then began to focus his magical energy. Suddenly, white wings formed on his back.

"So you have wings now," Ganondorf said calmly. "No matter. An aerial strike won't work."

Kai then shot straight toward Ganondorf with blinding speed. He seemed to disappear and reappear behind Ganondorf. He slashed toward him, but Ganondorf managed to block him once again. Ganondorf immediately countered with a jab to Kai's stomach. Kai shot straight into the ground.

"Impossible," Toad thought. "Kai's speed makes him practically invisible. If his Avian form doesn't work, nothing will."

Meanwhile, back in Kai's world, Naomi, Randall, Matthew, Luna, and Jacob were hanging out at the park.

"Kai's been gone for a while, hasn't he?" Randall said. "Should we have told Kai's parents about what happened?"

"They wouldn't have believed us anyway," Luna said. "Who disappears into thin air in an arcade?"

"Touché," Randall said. "What do you think, Naomi?"

Naomi didn't notice him. She was to busy looked at something strange in the sky. Many clouds were gathering together into one single point.

"What's going on?" Naomi asked.

"Maybe it's a tornado," Jacob suggested.

"Tornados form into a funnel," Luna said. "That is no Tornado."

"Then you explain it," Jacob said.

Soon, the clouds were all together. Suddenly, something like a television screen formed into the gathered clouds. The screen showed the battle between Kai and Ganondorf. Kai was still losing.

"Is that…Kai?!" Matthew exclaimed.

"What's going on?!" Randall asked.

"We have to go see Kai's parents," Naomi said. "They'll want an explanation for what's happening."

"Too late," Jacob said while he looked to the group's left.

They all looked to the left. A woman with brown hair and brown eyes was standing there. Her hair was short. She was wearing a green shirt and blue jeans. Next to her was a man with short, black hair and purple eyes. He wore a black suit. These were Kai's parents, Susan and Jack.

"You five have some explaining to do!" Susan shouted.

Meanwhile, Kai's fight with Ganondorf was continuing. Ganondorf was now doing the attacking. Kai couldn't defend himself, however. Ganondorf was punching Kai with arms covered in purple magical energy. Each blow brought overwhelming pain to Kai. Ganondorf slammed Kai into a wall, and Kai coughed up blood. Ganondorf then rapidly punched Kai in the stomach. He then threw Kai onto the ground. Kai's wings disappeared.

Ganondorf then kicked Kai toward his friends. Hazel took a look at Kai. He was badly bruised and cut. His whole body looked as if he fought a dozen trucks and lost.

"Are…you…guys…alright?" Kai asked weakly.

"We'll be fine," Hazel said. "You, on the other hand…"

"I'll distract Ganondorf," Zero said. "Hazel, you have to restore Kai's health."

"What about you?!" Hazel exclaimed. "You don't have the energy to fight."

"I still have my **Chakra Release**," Zero said.

"You've already used that once today," Serena said. "What happens if you…"

"It can't be worse than what happens if I don't," Zero said. "Use to catalyst to transfer your power to Hazel so she can heal Kai. I'll take on Ganondorf."

Zero then focused his chakra. Suddenly, a burst of charka began to flow through him. He then walked toward Ganondorf.

"You five are getting quite annoying," Ganondorf said. "You and Kai seem to like pain the most. So what should I break first, your arms or your legs. Maybe I'll break your whole body at the same time."

"Try laughing when you're a dragon's lunch," Zero said.

Zero bit his right thumb and began to form hand-signs.

"**Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu**!" Zero shouted.

Zero slammed his hand onto the ground. Suddenly, smoke rose from where he slammed his hand. When the smoke cleared, Zero was standing on top of a golden dragon much larger than any dragons he had summoned before.

"So you brought a pet along," Ganondorf said.

"This is a Sun Dragon," Zero said. "They are quite ferocious. Now you shall feel its wrath."

Zero began to form some hand-signs.

"**Fire Style: Golden Flare Bomb**!!!" Zero shouted.

Zero and the dragon began to breathe golden flames. The flames took the shape of a dragon. The flames shot straight toward Ganondorf. Ganondorf used his two hands to block. He was having a hard time keeping the blast back. The force of the attack was slowly forcing Ganondorf back. Soon, an explosion shot from where the blast hit Ganondorf.

"Did it work?" Toad asked as Hazel was healing Kai's wounds.

When the smoke from the explosion cleared, Ganondorf had disappeared.

"Where did he…" Zero thought.

Before he could finish this thought, the dragon began to roar with pain. Zero looked behind the dragon and saw that Ganondorf had punched it on the back. The dragon fell over and Zero rolled onto the ground. The dragon then disappeared.

Zero tried standing up, but the pain was too intense. He could barely breathe.

"Damn," Zero thought. "Not now!"

Ganondorf slowly walked up to Zero.

"Now this isn't fun," Ganondorf said. "I like my prey to run around in panic."

Ganondorf grabbed Zero's neck and held him up into the air. Zero began to choke.

"Now I'll just wring your neck," Ganondorf said.

"NO!" Kai shouted.

Kai was fully healed. Kai's wings had grown back. He managed to fly straight past Ganondorf and free Zero in a blink of an eye. He then carried Zero back to Hazel.

"You alright?" Kai asked.

"I'll…live," Zero said. "You just…take him down."

Zero's eyes closed, and he passed out. Kai glared toward Ganondorf.

"Round two's about to start," Ganondorf said. "Let's have some fun."

Ganondorf began to laugh evilly. Kai drew his sword and began his charge toward his opponent. Zero gave him one last chance. Now was the time to use it.


	38. Chapter 38: Rainbow Wings

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Chapter 38: Rainbow Wings**

Kai charged straight toward Ganondorf. His snowy-white wings flapped in the air as he moved. When he was within range, he slashed at Ganondorf. Ganondorf jumped back to dodge. Ganondorf then countered with his own sword, which Kai blocked. Kai and Ganondorf continued this sequence of attacking, defending, and countering for the longest time. Toad and Serena described the fight to Hazel as she healed Zero.

"Kai's doing better this time!" Toad exclaimed. "He might just win!"

"I'm not sure," Serena said. "It is true that he is actually blocking attacks now, he isn't any stronger or faster than he was before. He just isn't focusing all of his strength on attacking this time. But soon, his strength might were out."

"You just haven't seen Kai fight long enough," Hazel said. "It doesn't matter how strong the obstacle is. Kai always finds some way to win. I believe in him."

Zero was still unconscious, but he was slowly healing. Kai soon took a hard blow to the stomach and nearly fell over, but he still kept fighting.

Meanwhile, back in Kai's world, Naomi and her group were explaining what had happened to Kai to his parents.

"Kai…just disappeared into thin air?" Susan asked.

"I know it's unbelievable, but it's true!" Jacob shouted. "Even if you don't believe us…"

"Who said we didn't believe you?" Jack asked.

Naomi and her friends were shocked by this.

"You actually believe us?!" Naomi exclaimed.

"I see my son on a jumbo screen made of clouds, fighting a muscular man while flying with wings," Jack said. "At this point, nearly anything is believable."

"I just wish you told us earlier!" Susan shouted. "I almost decided to call the army to find him!"

"None of that matters now," Luna said. "What matters is that Kai is somewhere, fighting a big guy and losing. We have to help him somehow."

"We first have to figure out where he is," Matthew said. "Then we have to figure out how to get there."

"That is simple," Randall said.

They all looked toward him.

"We see him in the clouds," Randall said. "If we fly through the clouds, we could probably reach him."

"I don't know where you got an idea as stupid as that, but…" Naomi began.

"He may be onto something," Jacob said. "When Kai disappeared, he entered a strange portal. Maybe that cloud formation is a portal to wherever Kai is."

"Just how do we get up there, if that cloud is a portal?" Luna asked.

"Leave that to me," Jack said.

They all looked toward Kai's dad strangely, but if he had an idea, they were ready to try anything. Meanwhile, Kai and Ganondorf were still fighting. Kai was holding his own against the dark king.

"It seems you have the strength to keep fighting," Ganondorf said.

"As long as I have someone to protect, I won't lose!" Kai shouted.

"Then I'll just have to do something about that," Ganondorf said.

He then knocked Kai to the side and began to charge an energy blast. He pointed it toward Hazel.

"Let's start with your girlfriend," Ganondorf said.

Hazel just noticed that Ganondorf was preparing to attack her. She couldn't move because she was healing Zero. Ganondorf fired his blast, but Kai jumped in the way and took the full force of the blast.

"I knew you'd do that!" Ganondorf shouted. "Now you're mine!"

Ganondorf rapidly continued to blast Kai with energy blasts.

"KAI!!!" Hazel cried.

Kai was forced into the ground right next to Hazel.

"You idiot," Hazel said. "Why did you do that?"

"Do you need to ask?" Kai asked weakly.

Kai stood up again and rushed toward Ganondorf. Hazel just watched him. She then turned to face Zero and continued to heal him.

Kai, though he was weakened, still kept fighting. But his injuries made him slower. Ganondorf easily knocked away Kai's attacks and blasted Kai away.

"Now you die!" Ganondorf shouted as he began to charge another energy blast.

Just then, a flash of light appeared behind Ganondorf. Ganondorf turned around and saw a small plane shoot into the room. Ganondorf was surprised by this, but jumped out of the plane's way. The plane stopped right before it reached Kai.

The plane's door opened, and Naomi, Randall, Matthew, Jacob, and Luna rushed out.

"Kai!" several of them shouted.

"Guys?!" Kai exclaimed.

Naomi and Randall helped Kai stand up.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked.

"Your parents brought us," Naomi said.

"My…PARENTS?!" Kai exclaimed.

Jack and Susan stepped out of the plane's cockpit. They walked over to Kai.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Susan shouted.

"Mom!" Kai exclaimed. "How did you…when did you…where did you get a plane?!"

"I have some connections," Jack said. "But what is this place."

"You shouldn't be here!" Kai shouted.

"Is that any way to talk to your mother?!" Susan shouted. "You disappear **again** and leave us worried sick! Then when we first get here, you tell us we shouldn't be here! Just what are you doing?! You are covered in blood!"

"Mom, this isn't a good time," Kai said.

"Why not?!" Susan shouted.

"That," Kai answered, pointing behind her.

They turned around and saw Ganondorf floating in the air.

"A touching family reunion," Ganondorf said. "But I'm afraid that I'll have to break it up."

"That's what you think," Jack said.

He pulled a pistol from his belt and pointed it toward Ganondorf.

"Dad! That's not gonna…" Kai began.

But Jack fired the gun anyway. But the bullets stopped right before they hit Ganondorf.

"Told ya," Kai said.

"You really think that you could kill me that easily?" Ganondorf asked. "Ha!"

"Mom, dad, guys," Kai said. "Get over to Hazel and the rest of the group. She can create a barrier as soon as she's done healing Zero. Don't ask questions. Just do it!"

"We aren't going to leave you!" Naomi shouted. "We went through the trouble of getting a damn plane to get here! We aren't just going to hide!"

"Please," Kai said. "I want you guys to be safe. That's why I'm doing this. To protect…everyone I care about."

Kai stood up. He seemed confident in his ability to fight.

"That's why I've always fought my battles," Kai said. "To protect those I care about! No one's making me do this. I want to do this. That's why I can't lose. Because I have a reason!

"Hazel, take care of these guys. I can't let anyone get hurt here."

"No problem," Hazel said. "I've just finished healing Zero."

"How are you going to fight this guy?" Jacob asked. "We've watched this whole fight. You've been getting your butt kicked."

"There's one shot," Kai said. "If this doesn't work, nothing will. Just get over to Hazel just in case I fail."

"Be careful," Naomi said.

Kai looked over to his parents and his friends. He just gave them a smile. He then turned to face Ganondorf and slowly walked forward. His parents and friends ran over to Hazel, who created a barrier to defend them all.

"What do you plan to do?" Ganondorf asked. "This fight is mine! You are too weak!"

"Have you ever heard of the balance of darkness and light?" Kai asked.

Kai stopped as soon as he reached the Chaos Emeralds.

"Without one, the other can't exist," Kai said. "I thought about the story of the Echidnas. While it's true that the dark power of the emeralds transformed Chaos into a horrible monster, he first became his first form using the good power of the emeralds.

"You can use darkness, but I've still got the light. Now it's all or nothing. I'm betting everything on my belief!"

The seven, colorless Chaos Emeralds began to float around Kai. Suddenly, they began to glow with their normal colors. Their energy soon began to gush into Kai, changing his wings from white to the colors of the rainbow. The light of his wings radiated throughout the whole room.

"This is like when he fought the Lord of Darkness," Hazel thought.

She remembered the rainbow wings that allowed Kai to finish off the Lord of Darkness.

"You can do it, Kai!" Toad shouted.

"Go get him!" Naomi shouted.

They all began to cheer Kai on.

"They all believe in me," Kai said. "I won't let them down."

"Just because you become colorful, it doesn't mean that you can beat me!" Ganondorf shouted.

Ganondorf charged forward with his sword. He slashed toward Kai, but Kai seemed to disappear in an instant. Within a fraction of a second, Kai reappeared behind Ganondorf and slashed him. Kai then continued to barrage Ganondorf with attacks, which Ganondorf barely blocked. Kai eventually broke through Ganondorf's defenses and forced Ganondorf into the wall.

"That's it!" Ganondorf shouted. "Triforce of Power, GIVE ME YOUR STRENGTH!!!"

The Triforce on Ganondorf's hand began to glow.

"Let's see what's stronger," Kai said. "My sword or your Triforce. This is where the fight ends!"

Kai began to charge a white energy into his sword. Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to augment his magical energy. Kai then lunged forward. He propelled himself with his wings. He shot toward Ganondorf like a rocket.

"**DRACO METEOR**!!!" Kai shouted.

Ganondorf created a barrier that was shaped like the Triforce. Kai was covered with a white energy. Kai looked like a white meteor as he shot toward Ganondorf. Soon, the two made contact. From the point of impact, a bright flash of light covered the whole room.

Kai's friends and family were covering their eyes from the light.

"What's happening?!" Susan shouted.

"This happens all of the time!" Toad shouted. "You get used to it!"

When the light faded, they all looked toward Kai and Ganondorf. Kai had broken through the barrier. His sword pierced Ganondorf's chest and his heart. Ganondorf coughed up blood.

"It's over," Kai said as he pulled his sword out.

"Do not think this ends here…" Ganondorf said weakly as he coughed up some more blood. "The history of Light and Shadow will be written…in…blood."

Ganondorf then died. His blood had splattered against the wall behind him. Kai wiped his sword clean and withdrew it.

"YOU DID IT!!!" Hazel shouted.

They all began to rush to Kai, but the whole room began to shake.

"What's going on?!" Serena shouted.

"We've been in here to long!" Zero shouted. "The Nexus World can't take it!"

"We have to escape to Hyrule!" Toad shouted. "Hurry!"

Hazel and Toad helped Kai walk as everyone made their escape. As soon as they escaped into Hyrule, the portal collapsed into itself. Everyone was safely in the ruins of Hyrule, where the other heroes were waiting for them.

"Did you win?" Alakazam said.

"Would we be here if we lost?" Hazel asked. "Kai did it."

"What a happy ending," Kai said sleepily.

Kai then peacefully fell asleep. They won. Both worlds were once again at peace.


	39. Final Chapter: Goodbye again

**Kai and the Chaos Emeralds**

**Final Chapter: Goodbye again**

Kai slowly began to open his eyes. When he awoke, he found that Hazel was right beside him.

"You're awake!" Hazel exclaimed.

Kai looked around. They were still in the ruins of Hyrule Castle. He had been placed on a bed made of leaves, sticks, and other things that could be found nearby. The bed also doubled as a stretcher.

"Sorry about the crappy bed," Hazel said. "We had to stay here in order to dig Midna out of the ruins. I believed that she deserves a proper burial."

Kai lifted his head. He saw that everyone had shovels and were digging through the rubble.

"So what does she look like again?" Matthew asked.

"A black imp," Zero said.

"Ok," Matthew said.

"We should find her in no time," Hazel said to Kai.

"Now that I'm awake, maybe I should help out," Kai said.

Kai began to get up, but he immediately screamed in pain and fell back down.

"You probably shouldn't move," Hazel said. "I found out that your body was filled with fractures and broken bones. Luckily, I was here. If I wasn't, you'd probably be kicking the bucket."

"Yeah," Kai said. "Thanks."

Kai could do nothing but watch as his friends and family dug through the rubble, looking for Midna. Soon, Toad felt something soft hit his shovel.

"I found her!" Toad shouted.

Everyone who was digging rushed over to Toad. He had found her. Zero and Randall lifted her limp body out of the ground.

"Now we can give her a proper burial," Link said. "She deserves at least that much for saving us."

Everyone began to look at her. Suddenly, her mouth twitched.

"SHE'S ALIVE!!!" Toad shouted.

Suddenly, Midna's body began to float into the air. Some invisible force was carrying her away from them. Serena ran back to Hazel in order to help her carry Kai's stretcher. When they all caught up with Midna, four large spheres of light surrounded her. The spheres transformed into the four light spirits of Hyrule: Ordona, the stag; Faron, the monkey; Eldin, the eagle; and Lanaru, the sea snake.

The four spirits then transferred their light energy into Midna. The light they produced was blinding, so everyone covered their eyes. When the light faded, Kai was the first to look at what happened. Midna had been replaced by something larger. Kai couldn't tell what from where he was. He stood up, despite the pain, and began to stagger toward where Midna was. Link caught up to Kai and helped him walk. When they reached her, she began to stand up.

Midna had transformed from an imp-like creature to a beautiful woman with extremely light-blue skin, orange hair, and red eyes. She wore a long, black robe. She was as tall as Kai was. The expressions on the two heroes' faces showed the shock they had felt from what had just happened.

Everyone else caught up to Kai and Link. When they saw Midna, they were just as shocked as they were. Everyone was speechless.

"What?" Midna asked. "Say something! Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?"

Nobody said anything. They just smiled as the sun began to set.

The following day, Link and Midna led everyone to the chamber where the Mirror of Twilight belonged. The mirror had created a black portal that led to the Twilight Realm. The chamber itself was an ancient ruin that looked somewhat like a stadium, except without the stands.

"Well…I guess this is farewell, huh?" Midna said. "Light and shadow can't mix, as we all know. But…

"Never forget that there's another world bound to this one."

"Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin…" Zelda said. "One cannot exist without the other. I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world…

"They left it because it was their design that we should meet. Yes…that is what I believe."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Midna then looked away from Zelda.

"Zelda…" Midna began. "Your words are kind, and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule are like you…

"Then maybe you'll do all right."

Midna began to walk in between the Mirror of Twilight and the portal. Everyone remained silent. When Midna was between the mirror and the portal, she turned toward the portal. Stairs appeared out of nowhere, leading up into the portal. Midna turned her head toward Kai and Link.

"Thank you…" Midna said. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again…"

Kai and Link just smiled. A golden tear formed into Midna's right eye.

"Thank you…" Midna began. "Link… Kai…"

The golden tear slowly began to float in front of her. Midna pushed it with her left hand toward the Mirror of Twilight.

"I…" Midna continued. "See you later…"

When the tear hit the mirror, the glass of the mirror began to crack. Everyone looked toward the mirror. The crack on the mirror grew larger and larger. Light began to pulsate from the large crack.

Everyone then looked back toward Midna. She ran up to the top of the stairs and looked back toward everyone. She looked both happy and somewhat sad. Suddenly, a stream of light rose from the mirror and surrounded Midna. Midna then dissolved into particles of light. All of the light then entered the portal. When the light faded, the crack on the mirror grew larger and larger until the mirror shattered into many pieces. The shards of the mirror began to glow in the light of the sun.

"I guess we'll never see her again," Toad said.

"No," Link said. "Her world still exists. Even if the mirror is broken, she still exists."

"He's right," Kai said. "I'm sure that this isn't the last time that we'll see her."

After a few minutes of just standing in the chamber, they left. They first stopped by Castle Town to drop Zelda off.

"Thank you, everyone," Zelda said.

"Are you sure you won't need help rebuilding that castle of yours?" Susan asked.

"My people will be fine," Zelda said. "For now, you need to focus on returning home. I think that you all deserve a break."

"Same here," Sonic said. "I could use a good rest."

"Goodbye, Princess," Kai said.

Everyone except the Princess then left Castle Town. Their next stop was Ordon Village, where the villagers, including Ilia, were waiting for Link. Link turned to face Kai.

"Thanks for your help," Link said.

"I should be thanking you," Kai said. "Without you and Midna, this victory wouldn't have been possible."

"Yeah," Link agreed. "I'm just glad I can finally return home. Goodbye, Kai."

"Bye," Kai replied.

Kai and Link shook hands.

"You are welcome here anytime," Mayor Bo said.

"Thanks," Kai said.

Everyone said their good-byes, and the remaining heroes left Ordon Village. Once they got onto the ship, they set sail for the Mushroom Kingdom, which was only a day away.

"We'll get you guys some boats as soon as we reach the Mushroom Kingdom," Toad said. "We just can't drop everyone off during one trip. We don't have that much food."

"I understand," Metaknight said.

"Ok," Toad said. "With that being said, let's get some dinner. Kai, you and Zero get to cook tonight."

Everyone except Kai and Zero entered the dining room of the ship. Kai just looked out toward the open sea. Zero walked right next to him.

"You're thinking about what will happen next," Zero said.

"Yeah," Kai said. "Now that both worlds are safe, does that mean…"

"That you have to go home?" Zero finished.

"Yeah," Kai answered.

"Remember that nothing in life is set in stone," Zero said. "Who knows what will happen."

Kai looked at Zero confusingly.

"Let's get going," Zero said. "If we don't fix something soon, there's going to be a riot."

Zero then walked towards the ship's kitchen. After a few seconds, Kai followed him.

The following evening, they finally reached the Mushroom Kingdom. Whenever the heroes entered Toad Town, there was a celebration. Every resident cheered with joy as Kai and his friends led everyone else to the castle. At the castle's doors, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and Toadette were waiting for them.

Toadette ran up to Toad and gave him a hug.

"Thanks," Toad said. "I needed that."

"Welcome back, my friends," Toadsworth said. "Mario sent us a message earlier via dragon that told us how many of you there were."

Then, the little dragon that Kai has used to call the heroes together walked up behind Zero.

"That little guy's a great messenger," Mario said to Zero.

"You all can stay here tonight," Princess Peach said. "I had my servants prepare rooms for you all. In the morning, you will all be given small ships that will take you home."

"I've contacted my team already," Alakazam said. "They're bring a ship to bring Pikachu and I home."

"Yeah," Pikachu said.

"Alright," Princess Peach said.

"Princess, do you know where Professor E. Gadd is?" Mario asked.

"He's waiting for you inside, just like you asked," Princess Peach answered.

"Thank you," Mario said.

"What's the Professor here for?" Kai asked.

"He's here to help repair the passage to your world," Mario said. "As a scientist, he's probably the best one for the job."

"So we can go home," Jacob said. "I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again."

"I'm enjoying the lap of luxury as much a possible," Randall said. "Kai, you've got it made, man!"

That night, everyone rested in the luxurious rooms of the castle. Kai could barely sleep. He thought too much about what will happen when that portal gets fixed.

The following morning, everyone said goodbye to the other heroes as they headed home. Pikachu decided to give Kai a few berries as a goodbye gift.

"Uh…thanks," Kai said.

"No problem," Pikachu said. "Those are Oran berries. They're very delicious."

Kai took a bite of one. Pikachu was right. They were good.

"See ya," Pikachu said.

Team A.C.T.'s ship was the last to leave. Once it was gone, everyone returned to the castle. Mario immediately went to Professor E. Gadd.

"How long will the portal take to fix?" Mario asked him.

"About three days," the professor answered. "Then, we'll be able to send them home."

"Good," Mario said. "That will give Kai plenty of time to make up his mind."

E. Gadd stopped his work and looked up at Mario.

"About what?" he asked.

Mario didn't answer. Instead, he left to play a game of Tennis with his brother, because they hadn't been able to for a long time.

Everyone spent the next three days relaxing, except Zero, who decided to spend the next three days training. During this time, Kai barely talked to anyone. He was too deep within his thoughts.

When the three days were over, Professor E. Gadd had prepared a machine that looked like a small rocket.

"This machine can travel between the worlds once," E. Gadd explained. "It will only work once, however. So there will be no return trips."

"Alright," Naomi said.

Kai's friends and family said their goodbyes. After everyone else was on the rocket, Mario walked up to Kai.

"Kai, it's time to say goodbye," Mario said.

"Yeah," Kai said. "It is."

Kai turned to face everyone from his world.

"See ya, guys," Kai said.

Everyone looked at Kai with shock.

"But…Kai…what?!" Naomi exclaimed.

"I'm staying," Kai said. "I've made up my mind."

"What about your home?!" Susan asked. "What about school, college, your future…"

"Mom, my future is here," Kai interrupted. "I belong here. These guys here are not only my friends…they're my family.

"Mom. Dad. Guys. I'll never forget you all. But I just can't go back."

"Kai, get your butt in this rocket before…" Susan began to shout.

Jack put his hand in front of her face.

"If that's your decision, then you can stay," Jack said.

Susan jumped back when she heard this from her husband.

"But…Jack…" Susan stuttered.

"He may not act like it sometimes, but he is old enough to make his own decisions in life," Jack said. "We can't keep our eyes on him forever. If he's happy here, then he should stay."

Susan tried to think of something to say to argue with this, but she couldn't.

"Fine," Susan finally said. "But Kai, if that portal ever opens again, we're coming to see you, and that's final!"

"Alright," Kai said happily. "Bye."

Everyone on the rocket said their goodbyes to Kai. Then, Professor E. Gadd activated the rocket's engines. Soon, they were gone.

Kai turned to face his friends. There was utter silence in the room.

"Isn't anyone going to say anything?" Kai asked to break the silence.

Tears and a smile formed on Hazel's face. She was the first to run forward to Kai. She immediately gave him a tight hug. Zero, Toad, and Serena surrounded Kai as well.

"If you're staying, then we should move you into a permanent room," Princess Peach said.

"I don't mind staying in the same room as Toad," Kai said. "It's good to have some company."

"Then we should get you an actual bed instead of a futon," Toadsworth said. "I'll get that bed ready for you."

Toadsworth then left the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kai exclaimed.

He began to dig in his pockets. He pulled out the ring with the star-shaped gem.

"This is yours, Hazel," Kai said. "I thought I'd bring it back."

Hazel just looked at the ring. She silently took the ring from Kai's hands. She wiped the tears from her face. The smile remained there.

"Aren't you going home?" Toad asked Serena.

"They'll manage without me," Serena said. "I think I'll do the same thing as Kai. You guys need me more than they do."

"Alright then," Kai said. "Tomorrow, we set sail!"

"Where?" Toad asked.

"Who cares?!" Kai exclaimed. "This adventure is just for fun. I want to travel **without** having to worry about the safety of the world."

"Sounds good to me," Zero replied.

"Ready when you are!" Serena exclaimed.

"I'll get everything on the ship," Toad said.

"I'll go wherever you go, Kai," Hazel said.

"Then it's agreed," Kai said. "We set sail in the morning!"

All five of them gave one last cheer. At sunrise the following morning, they boarded the ship and set sail. Everyone in Toad Town gave them a bon-voyage as their ship headed for the horizon.

_**FIN**_


End file.
